on your phone,

在你的手機上

in your water bottle,

在你的水瓶裡

on your hands before you wash them,

在你洗乾淨前的手上

on your hands after you wash them,

以及洗乾淨後的手上

and literally everywhere else on top of you too.

還有在你全身各處，絕不誇張

Microbes are omnipresent at any moment, and there is nothing we can do about it

微生物無時無刻無所不在，而我們對此卻束手無策

So, millions of years ago we made a pact,

因此幾百萬年來，人類和他們就簽訂了契約

we give them shelter and food,

我們提供庇護和食物

and in turn they work for us.

而他們反過來為我們工作

But the more we learn about this partnership, the more it looks like a cold war

但是我們對這段夥伴關係瞭解的越多， 就越加發現這就像是場冷戰

Inside our mother's womb, humans start out sterile

人類胎兒在母親子宮裡，是完全無菌的

When we are born and traveling through the birth canal,

在經過產道出生時

billions of our mother's bacteria cover every single part of our bodies.

無數母親身上的細菌就鋪蓋在新生兒的身上

This is an essential part of human health.

這對人類健康來說是不可或缺的一環

Children born via C-section have a higher rate of asthma,

剖腹產出生的新生兒，有較高的機率得到氣喘、

immune diseases and even leukemia.

免疫疾病、甚至是白血病

So our bodies do not only accept the invasion of microorganisms, they welcome it.

因此我們的身體不僅是接受這些微生物的入侵 更是歡迎他們

Over millions of years, we co-evolved to make the best of our relationship.

幾百萬年來，我們共同演化出對彼此最佳的關係

Mother's milk for example,

例如：母乳

contains special sugars that are meant to feed and support

母乳含有特殊的醣類

certain groups of microbes,

可以餵養特定族群的微生物生長

work as a decoy for others,

他們可以做為別人的誘餌

and help to modulate the immune system.

並且幫助調控免疫系統

It takes up to two years, until a healthy microbe community has formed.

新生兒約需要兩年的時間 才能形成完整健康的菌叢

Every human has their own unique microbiome, made up of bacteria,

每個人都有他獨特的微生物群系 包含有細菌、

viruses, fungi and other organisms.

病毒、真菌以及其他微生物

We have three categories of guests, on and in our bodies.

在我們身上及體內有三種類型的賓客

One:

第一：

Quiet passengers that do their own thing, and are politely ignored.

默不作聲的乘客做著他的事情，並且被禮貌地忽視

By being there, they take up space and keep more aggressive intruders in check.

他們佔據空間，讓其他更有侵略性的外來者受到控制

Two:

第二：

Guests that harm us,

那些會傷害我們的客人們

But with whom we've learned to live,

但透過他們使我們學習生存

for example, bacteria that literally create acid that melts our teeth,

例如產生酸性物質腐蝕我們牙齒的細菌

if we don't brush enough.

若是我們沒有刷牙刷乾淨

They want to take up as much space as they can,

他們就會盡其所能佔據所有他們能佔據的空間

and we don't want them to.

而我們並不想讓他們為所欲為

But, we can't get rid of them entirely.

但卻無法完全擺脫他

Three:

第三：

Friendly fellows that our bodies want to have around,

我們身體很想要結交的友善傢伙

most of them are a community of 380,000 billion bacteria,

他們大多是380兆個細菌族群

from up to 5,000 different species, that live in our gut.

有超過5,000種不同的物種，住在我們腸道中

These gut microorganisms help us digest food,

這些腸道微生物幫助我們消化食物

and pull additional calories from things that we can't digest ourselves.

並且從我們不能消化的食物中分解出更多的熱量

Unfortunately, our gut is also the perfect point of attack for intruders,

不幸的，腸道也是外來侵略者完美的攻擊點

so it's guarded by an aggressive army,

因此腸道有非常果敢的軍隊鎮守

our immune system.

我們的免疫系統

To survive here, our microbiome co-evolved with us

為了在此生存，微生物和我們共同演化

to be able to communicate with our body.

使自己有能力與我們身體聯絡

The most important part of that is to ask the immune system to not kill them.

最重要的部分就是 請免疫系統不要殺死他們

But, they also have a real motivation to keep our gut healthy,

但其實背後他們保持我們腸道健康的真正動機

so some of them produce a messenger substances,

所以某些微生物會產出一種訊息物質

that help to educate the immune system,

來幫助教育免疫系統

and others stimulate the gut cells to regenerate faster.

其他還有些微生物能刺激腸道細胞再生

But, over the last few years.

在最近幾年

Evidence has emerged that the influence of our gut microbiome,

證據顯示腸道微生物

goes much much further.

能影響的程度更遠了

It might even talk directly to our brain.

甚至能夠直接和大腦對話

We've observed a few curious things,

我們觀察到幾個古怪的事情

90% of our body's serotonin,

我們身體90%的血清素(serotonin)

an important messenger substance for nerve cells,

是神經細胞重要的傳遞訊息物質

is produced in the gut.

是由腸道製造的

Some scientists think the microbiome does this,

以些科學家認為這是微生物引起的

to communicate with the vagus nerve.

目的是要和迷走神經聯絡

The information highway of our nervous system.

迷走神經是我們神經系統訊息傳遞的高速公路

Other examples are bacteria that stimulate immune cells in the gut,

其他例子還包含有細菌能刺激腸道的免疫細胞

so they send a kind of alarm signal to the brain.

然後傳送警告訊息給大腦

Here, it activates immune cells that help the brain recover from injuries.

這樣能活化免疫細胞，幫助大腦從創傷中恢復

Since the brain decides what we eat,

由於大腦決定了我們吃什麼

the microbiome is interested in a healthy brain.

微生物們對健康的大腦非常有興趣

A new field of science is opening up here,

這裡開創了科學中新的領域

and we're just on the verge of understanding how these

而我們只理解其冰山一角，關於

complex systems inside our bodies interact.

這些複雜的系統究竟在身體裡如何運作

But we are starting to see how much our microbiome

但我們逐漸開始瞭解

actually influences us and our behavior.

這些微生物影響我們及我們的行為有多深

Take depression for example,

以憂鬱為例

Healthy rats fed microbes from the guts of depressed people,

健康的大鼠被餵食來自憂鬱人類腸道的微生物

began showing anxiety-like behavior,

便會開始出現類似焦慮不安的行為

and symptoms that look like depression.

以及類似憂鬱的症狀

And in early 2017, a study linked the microbiome to intelligence,

在2017年初一個研究指出微生物和智力之間的關係

by connecting a certain set up of bacteria in newborns,

研究指出新生兒體內特別的一群細菌

with better motor and language skills.

能使其擁有較好的運動及語言能力

But it might also influence our daily lives.

其也可能影響我們的日常生活

Tests with fruit flies,

以果蠅做研究時發現

showed that their microbiome, influenced what kinds of food they craved.

他們身上的微生物族群，會影響他們想吃哪種食物

This could mean your microbes are able to tell your brain,

這可能指出，微生物能告訴你的大腦

which food it should get them.

你該吃哪些食物

Although, this is not a one-way street

然而這並不是單方向的影響

The seed for our microbiome comes from our mother,

我們身上微生物源自母親

but how it develops and changes, is determined by what we eat.

但其發展以及改變則是取決於我們吃了什麼

the organisms in our gut feed on different things,

腸道微生物以不同的食物為食

some like fibers and leafy greens,

有些喜歡纖維類和葉菜類植物

others go for sugars and starches,

有些則喜歡糖類和澱粉類

and some love greasy fries and butter.

有些喜歡油炸食物、油脂類

Our gut is like a garden in which we constantly decide,

我們的腸道就像個花園一樣，在這裡我們不斷地決定

what will grow and blossom.

我們想要栽種繁盛什麼東西

If we eat healthily, we breed bacteria that like healthy food.

如果我們飲食健康，就養育了那些喜歡健康食物的細菌

If we eat a lot of fast food, then we breed fast food loving bacteria.

如果吃了很多速食，則養育了喜愛速食的細菌

Life is hard, so we can get trapped in a vicious circle.

生活艱辛，因此我們被這惡性循環困著

You have a stressful time, and eat lots of burgers and fries and pizza.

你處於壓力大的狀態時，吃了很多漢堡、薯條和披薩

This is awesome for fast food bacteria,

這對喜愛速食的細菌來說很棒

they multiply and multiply, and take up space from vegetable loving bacteria.

他們快速地繁殖，從喜愛蔬果的細菌手中搶奪生存空間

But even worse, they send signals to the brain to continue what it's doing.

更糟的是，他們向大腦傳遞訊息要你繼續

this makes you want more fast food.

進而讓你想要吃更多的速食

Which breeds more fast food bacteria,

就養育出更多的速食細菌

which makes you crave fast food, and so on.

而又讓你更想吃速食，如此循環著

This kind of self-reinforcing cycle,

這樣自我回饋增強的循環

could play a huge role in obesity.

在肥胖中扮演了非常重要的角色

But, it's important to stress that you can fight this process,

但重要的是，你是可以對抗這個過程

and reverse it, by eating healthily and breeding more good bacteria.

並翻轉這個情況，透過吃下健康的食物，養育好的細菌

Beyond weight gain, our microbiome has also been linked to other

除了增重之外，微生物還被連結到其他嚴重的疾病

serious diseases like autism,

例如自閉症

schizophrenia, and cancer.

人格分裂以及癌症

One of the earliest symptoms of Parkinson's, is actually gut problems.

帕金森氏症的最早的症狀之一，就是腸道出問題

If your body is overrun with bacteria that harm you,

如果腸道中細菌猖獗而傷害你

there is often only one solution.

那麼通常只有一個解決方法

You bring in an army of good guys.

從外面帶來一群良善的軍隊

That's very easy,

這非常的簡單

You just transplant some healthy poop.

移植某些健康人的糞便

You do that by literally transferring poop, from a healthy person,

將健康人的糞便確實地移植

into your gut.

到你的腸道內

This method is already used, to cure diarrhea

這個方法已經被使用來治療腹瀉

that's caused when C. difficile bacteria, take over a gut microbiome.

是由腸道內艱難梭菌(C. difficile)引起的腹瀉

But we just don't know enough about the complex interplay at work here yet.

但對於其中的交互作用我們仍然瞭解得不夠

For example, a transplant from an overweight donor cured a woman's diarrhea,

例如：移植來自過重的人的糞便，治療了該名女性腹瀉

but contributed to her obesity down the line.

但卻造成她跟著也肥胖了

This caused some ways and another study tried to reverse the effect.

更有其他的研究嘗試想要逆轉這樣的影響

Poop transplants from slim people to obese ones,

移植來自身材苗條的人的糞便到肥胖的人

gave them a more diverse microbiome,

給予其更多元不同的微生物族群

and made them less sensitive to insulin.

並且使其對胰島素敏感度下降

Both things that also happen when people lose weight

這兩件事情皆發生在接受者體重減輕的例子中

We need to do a lot more science, to really understand

我們需要做更多的科學研究，才能真正地瞭解

how our microbes make us healthy or sick.

微生物究竟如何讓我們身體健康或生病

But, whether we like it or not.

但不論我們是否喜歡

We need our microbiome, and it needs us.

我們都需要這些微生物，而他們也需要我們

We'll never have our bodies to ourselves.

我們永遠不會只有自己擁有自己的身體

But we have gained a powerful ally,

而是獲得了有力的盟軍

if we can just keep the peace.

如果我們能保持和平共處的話