This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
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Last week, Rob Dunn posted a thought-provoking piece on the hygiene hypothesis that made me wonder... what will the shelves of the supermarket cleaning aisle look like in twenty years? How will Proctor & Gamble respond to the mounting research that says some bacteria in our lives is not only good, but necessary? Obviously, they will have a problem on their hands. Suddenly anti-bacterial everything will be shunned and they'll be forced to revise their tack or risk losing the hearts and minds (and especially the OCD tendencies) of the American public. Somehow, I think they'll come up with something. Dirty Floor-ox Bacterial Wipes, anyone?
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