The chemicals we leave behind — Speaking of Chemistry

Reactions Science Videos | September 05, 2017

The products we use every day leave behind chemical footprints. Learn how and why researchers are now studying those trails. Mass spectrometry is helping researchers learn more about our interactions with the everyday chemicals we use, such as DEET, caffeine, even medications. In this episode of Speaking of Chemistry, host Manny Morone talks to Pietr Dorrestein and Amina Bouslimani of the University of California, San Diego, California about how the chemicals we all leave behind could be useful in health and forensic science, and whether these chemicals should be cause for concern.

Even more brilliant references below:

Chemical traces yield ‘lifestyle sketches’ | C&EN

Lifestyle chemistries from phones for individual profiling | PNAS

Molecular cartography of the human skin surface in 3D | PNAS

A core gut microbiome in obese and lean twins | Nature