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Knowledge of the human microbiome is certain to have immense implications for our understanding of human physiology. One concern is the likelihood of marked alterations in the microbiome over the last century due to changes in lifestyle and the widespread use of antimicrobial agents. To gain insight into the microbiome before these transitions, researchers analyzed samples collected from Yanomami villagers during a medical mission to a remote region of the Amazon jungle in Venezuela. Inhabitants of this area were not known to have had previous contact with the modern world.
Samples from the oral cavity, skin, and feces collected from 34 villagers were subjected to 16S ribosomal RNA and metagenomic analyses. The microbiome was found to have t…