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	Podcast:		UC Science Today
	Episode:		Studying microbiomes growing in 'built environments'
	Category:		Science & Medicine
	Duration:		00:01:01
	Publish Date:		2016-07-13 19:00:00
	Description:		You’ve probably heard about the human microbiome. But what about microbiomes growing in “built environments”? Jonathan Allen, a bioinformatics scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has been tapped to serve on a national panel to study these microbial communities to get a better sense of the design of buildings and how that may affect human health. "So, everywhere we go, our skin is contacting surfaces and shedding bacteria on building surfaces and then also it’s coming from the natural environment, so you know plants and the outdoor environment. As the wind is blowing, it’s actually bringing in bacteria, microbes and also fungi. You know, fungi has a big part in the human microbiome too, potentially. It’s not nearly as pronounced as it is in building environments, where fungus can grow and actually become a major health issue for people." The panel will be conducting its study over the next 18 months.
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