We Are Not Who We Think We Are
Lichen is leading the way in many ways to a greater understanding of species. When it was first suggested that lichen were actually two species, algae and fungi, the reaction was disbelief, disbelief that two species could cooperate and appear as one organism. But it has proven to be the case and was eventually accepted by most scientists. Then a research discovered that it was actually made up of much more than just algae and fungi, that there were other organisms to be found. The research continued to the point where the researchers came to the realization that in fact every lichen was made up of multitudes of various bacteria and that it was an essential component of lichen's ability to grow and thrive. This knowledge has also arrived at our doorstep. We have come to understand that we are filled with trillions of bacteria in our gut and in our brains and in fact our own cells are out numbered by these organisms. And......th...