Where have you experienced biology today?
Dust.
Dusting feels like a never-ending job.
It would be nice if dust disappeared as quickly as other things in the house, say groceries – but we don’t eat dust. That’s a job for dust mites!
Dust mites specifically eat the dust particles that arise from dead skin that we shed. They are microscopic critters that help keep your house clean (sort of). They aren’t insects either – they have eight legs and are more closely related to spiders.
Dust mites are just one of the many organisms we, perhaps reluctantly, share our houses with. They are there because they like to eat our dead skin cells. Dusting, changing your furnace filter, and cleaning your carpets and bedding minimize the amount of dust around – and consequently the number of dust mites as well. So much of biology is about interactions between organisms – and you don’t have to go further than your home to find these!
Comments