You are only about half human.
Your body carries roughly as many bacterial cells as it does human ones.
Source
This fact is written from the English Wikipedia article it links to, so you can check every word in one tap. Fact Drop rates that source 4 out of 5 for credibility, and the rating travels with the fact on the back of its card in the app.
Why it sounds fake
What most people think
A body is made of human cells; bacteria are a small and mostly unwelcome minority.
What is actually true
By cell count, the bacteria roughly match the human cells.
More human body facts
Human body facts about the one you are sitting in. Roughly 8% of your DNA came from ancient viruses, you almost certainly have mites living on your face, and a newborn can breathe and swallow at the same time. Every fact links to the reference behind it.
- Roughly 8% of human DNA came from ancient viruses.
- Cells cross the placenta in both directions during pregnancy.
- Across mammals, a lifetime works out at roughly a billion heartbeats whether you are a shrew or an elephant.
- Your heart contains its own small nervous system — tens of thousands of neurons that keep it beating and adjusting after every nerve from the brain has been cut.
- A newborn can breathe and swallow at the same time.
- You almost certainly have mites living on your face.