Written by Danielle Chiriguayo and Amy Ta, produced by Brian Hardzinski
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It’s okay to get your hands dirty sometimes. Microbiologist and immunologist Brett Finlay says certain bacteria, fungi, and viruses are involved with how the brain plus intestinal and immune systems develop.
Photo by ANURAK PONGPATIMET/Shutterstock
At the start of the pandemic, when people knew nothing about how COVID-19 spread, hygiene theater was in overdrive. That meant wiping down every counter, tabletop, and doorknob — and even disinfecting groceries. A lot of that overdrive turned out to be overkill.
Many of these pandemic habits will be hard to break, but we might have to do that because some germs are good. Certain microbes and bacteria protect our bodies and keep us healthy.