Last month I contemplated the staggering diversity of microbes in my bellybutton–an experience made possible by my participation in a survey of microbiome diversity carried out by scientists at North Carolina State University. At the time, I thought I was quite the host. I was informed there were 53 species living in my navel, some of which had never been seen on skin before and some of which were altogether new to science. I was even informed that I was a “wonderland.”

Well, the project is moving forward at quite a clip, and the scientists are starting to push more of their data online. Here you can see the species from the first 60 volunteers they’ve studied. The lists are coded by number–I’m B944. I appear to have lost a species so I’m down to 52. And 52 is, I’m seeing, nothing to blog home about. So far, the diversity champion is the anonymous owner of bellybutton B1288. 107 species! Now that’s a wonderland….

Originally published July 30, 2011. Copyright 2011 Carl Zimmer.

If you or someone you know is a student at Yale, check out the class I’m teaching this fall. It’s called Writing about Science and the Environment (cross-listed as EVST 215 and ENGL 459). You can find out about it on the Yale Online Course Information site, where I’ve just posted the syllabus.

Originally published July 28, 2011. Copyright 2011 Carl Zimmer.

The human brain is, for want of a better word, ginormous. Sure, it’s only about as big as a cantaloupe, but it’s made of the hungriest cells in the human body. Keeping the brain supplied with energy is a huge challenge. In my new column in Discover, I describe how scientists have discovered some of the molecular tricks we’ve evolved to feed our neurological beast. Check it out.

Originally published July 26, 2011. Copyright 2011 Carl Zimmer.