Why Do We Have Belly Buttons? An Evolutionary Biologist Explains
The belly button, often overlooked, serves as a permanent record of an individual's origin and an evolutionary marker for the Eutheria lineage. Research has revealed that these recessed areas host a diverse and structured microbial ecosystem, with a significant portion of bacteria potentially unknown to science. This biome reflects evolutionary processes, with a few dominant bacterial types coexisting with numerous rare specialists, similar to tropical forests. AI
