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RE: Humans Through The Eyes of a Robot
Besides the influence of genes and the effect of the environment on gene expression, I was just watching a documentary about how the microbes in our gut secrete chemicals that influence our moods and behaviors. Depending on the composition of microbes in our body, we may be more cheerful or more aggressive.
In fact, there are more microbes in our guts than our own cells in our body! So, it really does makes me wonder what makes us us and how much free will we really have.
I enjoyed reading both the post and the comment! 👍
nice submission @sizzlingmonkeys
a while back I had read about discovery of neurons in stomach area and their behavior as smaller brain. is that what you mean with microbes or something else? Human body is a universe of its own, so much to know, so much to learn.
Hi deserttree, yes the microbes that live in our guts release chemicals that affect our moods! The "second brain" refers to the 100 million nerve cells that line our guts and may cause such familiar feelings as "butterflies in our stomach" when we get nervous.
If you are interested in reading more about "the second brain" and the effect of gut microbes on our moods, here are two great articles from Scientific American and The New York Times.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-second-brain/
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/magazine/can-the-bacteria-in-your-gut-explain-your-mood.html