Jimmy Underwood, Founder

We believe it is...
​and more.

It's amazing to consider that over 50% of the cells and DNA making up "our bodies" are not "ours" at all--they aren't even human!  Rather, they are bacteria and other microbes living in intimate association with our own cells and genetic material...thus the assertion that our bodies are only "half human."

Welcome to halfhuman.org, a not-for-profit project dedicated to advancing the non-scientist's understanding of-and appreciation for-the Human Microbiome, our "universe within."  After learning a few years back that life-threatening intestinal conditions could be cured by "transplanting" stool from the healthy to the sick, doubt turned to wonder, transformed to excitement, as I learned more.  I wrote a short paper called "Eat S#*t and Live" which helped open doors to microbiome summer educational opportunities at Brown and Yale.
 
A 2016 study found that healthy mice given "poop" from human Parkinson's patients developed symptoms of the disease--and then improved after ingesting stool from healthy humans.  My grandfather, who is my mentor and friend, has been diagnosed with Parkinson's.  What was previously curiosity became personal, and I'm honored that others are coming onboard.

Through this website and its blogs, halfhuman.org will take a 3-step approach:
(1) DESTIGMATIZE
(2) EDUCATE
​(3) CHANGE THE WORLD
Ultimately, it's your donations--of both stool and money--that will make a difference; brown and green are our favorite colors!
​
Thanks for visiting.  I hope you'll take your time and look around.  Share your thoughts on the messages on our blogs.  LET'S TALK POOP!  Oh...and CLICK BELOW to see how you can join us! 

​--Jimmy     

"DESTIGMATIZE"

 Picture
Blog Post 1:
The first fecal transplantation that I heard about involved a gentleman who was very ill with a common antibiotic-induced colon condition called C. difficile colitis. Despite multiple trials of treatment with the usual medications, his condition worsened.  He was advised to undergo a fecal transplant, whereby stool from a healthy donor is "transplanted" into the recipient's intestines.  He refused.  This was an educated man, an attorney, but he just couldn't get past the idea of someone else's poop inside him.  Only after his condition substantially deteriorated to the point of being admitted to the ICU did he agree to the simple procedure.  He was discharged home, asymptomatic, within 3 days.

While I hope to be one someday, I am definitely not a scientist.  I'm just a teenager with an interest, a fascination.  This episode made it clear to me, however, that while our amazing scientific community is working to better understand the complexities and possibilities associated with our microbiomes, the rest of us have a clear mission.  Until the average person can get beyond the hurdles involved with discussing such subjects, science's maximum benefits will be very difficult to fully realize.  Halfhuman.org hopes to chip away at these roadblocks using humor, confrontation, or whatever means necessary.

Jimmy
October 1, 2018

"EDUCATE"
"It's really amazing that more than 10,000 people--members of the public who want to get involved in science whether or not they work in a lab or have a PhD--have mailed their poop to our lab so that we can find out what makes a difference in somebody's microbiome.'

--Rob Knight, PhD
Blog Post 1:
Clearly, simply talking about fecal virtues with a straight face is not enough.  We must all continue to advance the limits of our understanding, whether "we" is leading microbiome scientist Dr. Rob Knight or high school student Jimmy Underwood.

I contacted Dr. Knight's American Gut project last year to express my interest in all things "microbiome."  They graciously gave me detailed advice, recommending that I read Ed Yong's bestseller I Contain Multitudes (amazing read) and that I further advance my knowledge in any manner possible.  To this end, I spent Summer 2018 taking a course at Brown University called "Me, Myself, and My Microbiome" and was honored to participate in the Biological and Biomedical Science session of the Yale Young Global Scholars program.  The Knight Lab additionally informed me of the integral role of computers in mapping the massive amounts of data involved in identifying all of the billions of microbe species living within us.  For this reason, I am currently trudging through a computer programming elective in school this year.

All this recent experience is what brings me to halfhuman.org.  Dr. Knight's American Gut initiative, "one of the largest crowd-sourced, citizen science projects in the country," has agreed to assist our members in identifying our individual microbes.  We are starting a "BioMedical Club" at Jackson Preparatory School to educate ourselves and help advance the cause, and we welcome any other individuals who wish to participate.  Having hopefully laid an adequate foundation, my own personal goal is to spend Summer 2019 in an established lab that is doing exciting research in this frontier of medicine and science.

Jimmy
October 3, 2018

"CHANGE THE WORLD"

Blog Post 1:
Membership in halfhuman.org affords the opportunity to identify the specific microorganisms inhabiting your own body.  While our understanding of what this information means and how it can be used is in its infancy, it obviously provides a source of great personal information.  How are we as individuals different, and why?  Perhaps less obvious, however, is the "greater good."  The members of halfhuman.org have the opportunity to contribute to the collective fund of knowledge which may ultimately lead to unimaginable breakthroughs in the human condition.  How cool (and rare) is that?!
​
Additionally, in cooperation with GI Associates, the largest gastroenterology medical practice in Mississippi (and one of the largest in the South), halfhuman.org will help streamline, coordinate, and study the fecal transplant programs in local hospitals.

The triumphant publication of the human genome sequence was subsequently deemed by some as incomplete until the interactions between humans and their resident microbes are understood. This process will occupy thousands of geneticists, microbiologists, physicians, mathematicians, computer programmers, and social scientists for the rest of this century, and halfhuman.org is finding its place among them.  Our journey has begun.  Join us!

Jimmy
October 13, 2018

Thanks for stopping by.  Please join the effort to better understand our "other half."

We welcome your comments or feedback regarding your personal microbiome testing results or our site!

halfhuman.org supports (or is supported by):