14 DAY TRIAL // Few would ever take the old saying that one is never truly alone literally, but, as it turns out, this is actually the case. Our bodies don't just belong to ourselves, but also serve as a home for all sorts of microbes, fungi, viruses, and even teeny tiny critters.
Fair warning: if you are terribly afraid of spiders, you really should click off this article right about now. Unless you want to spend the following two hours or so desperately scrubbing your face with whatever cleaning products you have lying around your house.
Long story short, scientists say that, according to evidence at hand, each and every person in the world shares their face with at least two species of microscopic mites. That's right, there isn't a person in this world who does not have such microscopic organisms living on their face.
In a recent paper, researchers with the North Carolina State University, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and the California Academy of Sciences detail that these mites live inside our pores. Most of them like to inhabit the skin around our nose.
The reason you've been warned to drop this article if you are afraid of spiders is as follows: the mites populating our pores are classified as arachnids. Simply put, they are relatives of spiders and ticks. Granted, they are not spiders themselves, but let's face it, this does not make them any less freaky.
Investigations have shown that we people have been walking around with these mites partying and building civilizations inside our pores since the first humans left Africa and went about exploring the world, Phys Org informs. Hence, these microscopic organisms hold clues to our own evolutionary history.
What this means is that, by studying mites living on people's faces, researchers can gain a better understanding of what humankind has been up to over the past few thousand years. This is because mites found in China are genetically distinct from mites whose presence has been documented in the Americas.
Interestingly enough, it appears that, of the mice species we share our bodies with, two aren't even related to one another. In fact, a species dubbed Demodex brevis appears to be more closely related to dog mites than it is to its companion, Demodex folliculorum. This indicates that we humans acquired these mites in very distinct ways.
The good news is that, although learning that you have mites living on your face is nothing short of mind-boggling, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Experts say that these microscopic organisms do not threaten our health in any way, and that there is no reason to freak out. Just don't ask them to pay rent, or they might start a rebellion.