6th Grade · Science · Activity · shared by Luke Morgan
Explore the skin microbiome and hygiene's impact on health with this 6th Grade Science activity. Analyze a scientific report and data.
Investigation: The Microscopic Guard Shift
You have just learned about the microbiome , the community of millions of tiny organisms living on your skin that helps keep you healthy. One of the most important members of this community is Staphylococcus epidermidis . This helpful bacterium acts like a security guard, producing chemical weapons called peptides to destroy harmful pathogens that try to enter through cuts or scrapes.
Recently, a group of scientists conducted a study to see what happens to this protective layer when humans change their hygiene habits. Read the scientific report and examine the data table below to prepare for your analysis.
Scientists studied a group of people who used strong soap five times a day for two weeks. This soap was made to kill almost all the tiny germs living on their skin. Before the study began, these people had lots of good bacteria that helped keep them safe. These good germs made small tools called antimicrobial peptides to fight off bad germs. By the end of the first week, the skin on their hands became very dry and started to crack. These tiny cracks made new openings in the skin that were not there before the study started.
The soap also killed the helpful Staphylococcus epidermidis germs. These tiny helpers died because the strong soap chemicals wiped them out along with the bad germs. Without these good germs, the skin no longer had these natural tools to stay healthy. During the second week, the team found that bad germs were growing inside the new skin cracks. These dangerous invaders had no trouble growing because the skin’s natural defenses were gone. The skin could no longer protect itself from the bad germs because the good germs were missing.
Data Table: Skin Health Observations
Condition
Helpful Bacteria Population