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  • - [Narrator] There's a creature scurrying

  • across your face right now. Yes, you,

  • and at some point, maybe now, maybe in a few days,

  • it's going to find a nice cozy pore in your skin

  • and lay a single enormous egg.

  • Meet the face mites. They're smaller than a grain

  • of sand, are a kind of arachnid like spiders,

  • and they feast on the oil and cells in your skin,

  • particularly on your oily nose, cheeks, and forehead.

  • Scientists suspect they've been living on us

  • since the dawn of humanity over 200,000 years ago,

  • and today, studies suggest practically every adult

  • on the planet has thousands of them.

  • Odds are you've been living with them your whole life.

  • Babies quickly get them from their parents

  • a few days after birth, and once those face mites

  • are on you, the only thing they enjoy as much

  • as slurping oil and nutrients from your pores is

  • having sex all over your face.

  • Afterwards, females burrow deep

  • into your pores where they lay their eggs.

  • The eggs end up in one of two places

  • depending on the species of face mite.

  • The first species, called Demodex folliculorum,

  • lays its eggs in your hair follicle,

  • while the second prefers nesting in your sebaceous glands.

  • And in under two weeks, the babies hatch,

  • mate, lay their own eggs and die,

  • leaving behind a pile of decomposing corpses.

  • Now, you can wash some of this off,

  • but you'll never eradicate them completely

  • because even if you treat them with antibiotics,

  • they'll return in about six weeks, tops.

  • You'll pick them up from towels, pillows,

  • and your loved ones.

  • Well, that all sounds horrific,

  • but usually face mites are harmless.

  • They only become a problem when they multiply

  • out of control. This can happen in people

  • with an impaired immune system.

  • It's also been seen in people with a painful skin

  • condition called rosacea.

  • Normally, you'll have around one or two mites

  • per square centimeter of skin,

  • but one study found that people with rosacea

  • had 10 times the normal amount.

  • Believe it or not, in some cases,

  • face mites can be useful.

  • Researchers can actually study your face mites

  • to learn about your ancestors.

  • You see, most mites often stay within a community.

  • So over time, they've evolved into distinct lineages

  • in different geographic regions, and by comparing

  • their DNA, scientists can trace how different groups

  • of humans migrated across the world.

  • For example, a study found that European mites

  • genetically diverged from East Asian mites

  • around 40,000 years ago.

  • That's the same time European and East Asian humans

  • parted ways. Pretty handy.

  • So when it comes down to bugs crawling all over you,

  • it could be a lot worse.

- [Narrator] There's a creature scurrying

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B2 lay skin east asian study asian european

The Bugs That Lay Eggs In Your Face

  • 43641 1114
    林宜悉 posted on 2020/10/29
Video vocabulary

Keywords

immune

US /ɪˈmjoon/

UK /ɪˈmju:n/

  • adjective
  • Exempt or protected from something undesirable, such as a tax or legal action.
  • Having a special protection from, e.g. the law
  • Protected against a particular disease or condition because of antibodies or vaccination.
enormous

US /ɪˈnɔrməs/

UK /iˈnɔ:məs/

  • adjective
  • Huge; very big; very important
  • Very great in size, amount, or degree.
  • Having a very great effect or influence.
  • Very great in number or amount.
  • Extremely large; huge.
completely

US /kəmˈpliːtli/

UK /kəmˈpli:tli/

  • adverb
  • In every way or as much as possible; totally.
  • In every way or as much as possible
  • Totally; entirely.
  • To the greatest extent; thoroughly.
  • In every way or as much as possible; totally.
  • Including all or everything; without anything lacking.
  • Thoroughly; to a full or finished extent.
  • Totally; in every way or as much as possible.
evolve

US /ɪˈvɑlv/

UK /ɪ'vɒlv/

  • other
  • To develop gradually.
  • To develop gradually, especially from a simple to a more complex form.
  • verb
  • To change or develop gradually.
  • To develop gradually.
  • To develop certain features
  • To develop or change slowly over time
  • To slowly change or develop into something better
  • other
  • To develop (something) gradually.
treat

US /trit/

UK /tri:t/

  • noun
  • something that tastes good and that is not eaten often
  • Something you buy for others as a surprise present
  • Something special that gives pleasure.
  • other
  • To subject to some process or action; to apply a substance to.
  • To behave towards someone in a specific way.
  • To pay for something for someone as a gift or pleasure.
  • To give medical care or attention to; try to heal.
  • verb
  • To pay for the food or enjoyment of someone else
  • To use medical methods to try to cure an illness
  • To act in a certain way toward someone
distinct

US /dɪˈstɪŋkt/

UK /dɪˈstɪŋkt/

  • adjective
  • Clearly different in nature from something else
  • Clearly different or of a different kind.
  • Not the same; different in nature or quality.
  • Clearly noticeable; easily perceived.
community

US /kəˈmjunɪti/

UK /kə'mju:nətɪ/

  • noun
  • Group of people who share a common idea or area
  • An interacting group of various species in a common location.
  • A group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other.
  • A group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other.
  • The European Economic Community.
  • A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
  • A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
  • An interacting group of various species in a common location.
  • A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
  • A group of people who share a craft or profession and learn from each other.
  • A group of people who interact with each other primarily through online platforms.
  • A group of people who interact with each other primarily online.
  • An organized group of people with a common interest or purpose.
  • A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
  • A group of people sharing common characteristics or interests.
  • A group of people living in a particular area or locality.
  • Joint ownership or use.
  • adjective
  • Relating to or shared by the people in a particular area.
  • Relating to or characteristic of a community.
  • Relating to or done by a community.
  • Relating to or shared by the people in a community.
  • Shared or participated in by all members of a group
  • other
  • A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
  • A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
  • A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
  • Joint ownership or use.
  • A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
amount

US /əˈmaʊnt/

UK /ə'maʊnt/

  • noun
  • Quantity of something
  • verb
  • To add up to a certain figure
cozy

US /ˈkozi/

UK /'kəʊzɪ/

  • adjective
  • Comfortable, warm, pleasant, and often, small
odd

US /ɑd/

UK /ɒd/

  • adjective
  • Being unmatched with someone or something
  • Being a number not able to be divided by two
  • Being unexpected or different; out of the ordinary