--- title: "Nasty Images Show How Bacteria Colonize Your Tongue" description: "In a new series of astonishing images assembled by a team of researchers, we get to experience this diverse biome of bacteria found on the human tongue." date: "2020-03-30" modified: "2020-03-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/images-bacteria-colonize-tongue" categories: - "Bacteria" - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Pathogens" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "bacteria" - "biofilm" - "probiotic bacteria" --- # Nasty Images Show How Bacteria Colonize Your Tongue ![]() *\Image: Wilbert et al.\* Your mouth is a zoo of bacteria. And in a new series of astonishing (ly disturbing) images assembled by a team of researchers, we get to experience this diverse biome in all its psychedelic, multicolored glory — with each funky color representing a different species of bacteria, as [*Science Alert* reports](). "The tongue is particularly important because it harbors a large reservoir of microbes and is a traditional reference point in medicine," said Jessica Mark Welch, co-author of [the study]() published in the journal *Cell Reports* and microbial ecologist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts, in [a statement](). "'Stick out your tongue' is one of the first things a doctor says." "We think that learning who is next to who will help us understand how these communities work," Welch added. The species range from Streptococcigreen around the edges of the tongue where they can gobble up oxygen, shown in green, to actinomyces, which thrive in an anaerobic environment away from the edges, in red. Rothia, shown in cyan, keeps away from either of those border regions. In total, there are more than 700 species of bacteria that call our mouths their home. however, the three genera of bacteria identified above were found in 80 percent of the 21 healthy tongues the researchers collected samples from. ![]() To separate these oxygen-rich and -poor environments, the bacteria form layers of protective slime referred to as "biofilm." "Bacteria behave differently in a biofilm," co-author Mark Welch said. "There are parts of their metabolism they only turn on in a biofilm, and they tend to be more resistant to antibiotics and changes in the environment." The scientists' research also suggests that small bumps on the surface of the human tongue exist to allow certain kinds of bacteria to create nitric oxide, an important chemical for controlling blood pressure — a process that the human body isn't capable of taking care of by itself. **READ MORE:** [ Incredible Images Show How Bacteria Set Up Tiny Colonies on Your Tongue]() \[*Science Alert*\] **More on the tongue:** *[IBM Unveils New “Electronic Tongue” to Taste and Identify Liquids]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()