Distinguishing occupants in a room from their 'microbial signatures' -- a data science application  A team of researchers have shown "for the first time that individuals release their own personalized microbial cloud."  (James Meadow, et.al., U. Oregon)

"Bacterial clouds from the occupants were statistically distinct. ... Most occupants could be clearly detected by their airborne bacterial emissions, as well as their contribution to settled particles, within 1.5–4 h."

"We know that if you live with people, and even if you just work with people, your microbial communities come to resemble theirs over time.  And in the past we used to think that was due to touch. It may be just that you're releasing microbes into the air and some of those microbes are colonizing the people you're with." [4]

Or, as WIRED put it: Your body is surrounded by clouds of skin and fart particles. [2]


Read the full paper [1] online:  https://peerj.com/articles/1258/#aff-1

[1] Meadow JF, Altrichter AE, Bateman AC, Stenson J, Brown G, Green JL, Bohannan BJM. (2015) Humans differ in their personal microbial cloud. PeerJ 3:e1258

[2] Wired Article: Your body is surrounded by clouds of skin and fart particles.  http://www.wired.com/2015/09/body-surrounded-clouds-skin-fart-bacteria/

[3] Newsweek article: http://www.newsweek.com/microbial-cloud-aka-auras-are-basically-real-375010

[4] NPR article: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/09/22/441841735/wherever-you-go-your-personal-cloud-of-microbes-follows