"Basic research" has been leading us to eradicate any and all microorganisms from our presence for decades. No doubt that this has been a great step forward in protection from acute illness, but far less is known about the tradeoffs we are making in terms of chronic disease.
As a case in point, it is generally known that children who grew up on farms have fewer allergies and asthma as adults. The mechanism behind this is not crystal clear, but raw milk consumption is a strong candidate. "Despite these risks there is a growing body of epidemiological evidence suggesting that consumption of unprocessed cow's milk does not increase but rather decreases the risk of asthma, hay fever and atopic sensitisation" (Braun-Fahrländer, C. and Von Mutius, E. (2011))
Treating the human body not as a magical place of cleanliness but as a germ-filled ecosystem is a critical step forward for science. We are only beginning to understand the role of things like gut bacteria in chronic diseases like obesity. I am personally less concerned what "basic research" has to say on the matter (germs make you sick, everyone knows this) and much more interested in the cutting-edge (certain germ exposures may prevent disease).
As a case in point, it is generally known that children who grew up on farms have fewer allergies and asthma as adults. The mechanism behind this is not crystal clear, but raw milk consumption is a strong candidate. "Despite these risks there is a growing body of epidemiological evidence suggesting that consumption of unprocessed cow's milk does not increase but rather decreases the risk of asthma, hay fever and atopic sensitisation" (Braun-Fahrländer, C. and Von Mutius, E. (2011))
Treating the human body not as a magical place of cleanliness but as a germ-filled ecosystem is a critical step forward for science. We are only beginning to understand the role of things like gut bacteria in chronic diseases like obesity. I am personally less concerned what "basic research" has to say on the matter (germs make you sick, everyone knows this) and much more interested in the cutting-edge (certain germ exposures may prevent disease).