The Original Grape-Nuts, which now bear a non-GMO label, no longer contain vitamins A, D, B-12 and B-2. Claire Eggers/NPR hide caption
microbes microbes
Mattheos Koffas (left), a biochemical engineer at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Andrew Jones, a graduate student in his lab, with a flask of microbe-produced antioxidants. Dan Charles/NPR hide caption
Many artisan cheese producers never pasteurize their milk – it's raw. The milk's natural microbial community is still in there. This microbial festival gives cheese variety and intrigues scientists. iStockphoto hide caption
The Bronx may be up and the Battery down, but Central Park is where an amazing wealth of different sorts of microbes play. iStockphoto hide caption
Rugby and meat: a treat for the gut? A study suggests yes. Here Tony Woodcock (left) and Owen Franks of the All Blacks rugby team turn sausages on the barbecue in 2011 in Christchurch, New Zealand. Phil Walter/Getty Images hide caption
Doctors used a rapid DNA test to identify a Wisconsin teen's unusual infection with Leptospira bacteria (yellow), which are common in the tropics. CDC/Rob Weyant hide caption
Even some euro bank notes may need a good scrubbing. Like dollar bills, these notes are made from cotton and they harbor an array of bacteria. Thomas Leuthard/The Preiser Project/Flickr hide caption
Botulism bacteria, or Clostridium botulinum, grow in poorly preserved canned foods, especially meat and fish. The microbe's toxin could be lethal as a bioweapon. Dr. Phil Luton/Science Photo Library/Corbis hide caption
Bacteria don't wear wristwatches. But they can take their sweet time hopping onto a potato chip. Greg Williams/Wikimedia Commons hide caption
In some human diseases, the wrong mix of bacteria seems to be the trouble. Getty Images hide caption
He's not just getting a cold. He's building his microbiome. iStockphoto.com hide caption
Say hello to your microbiome, Rob Stein. Our intrepid correspondent decided to get his gut bacteria analyzed. Now he's wondering if he needs to eat more garlic and onions. Morgan Walker/NPR hide caption
We may not see them, but we need them. iStockphoto.com hide caption
The tale of the tape may be told, in part, by the microbes inside you. iStockphoto.com hide caption