What’s On A Dollar Bill?
A study conducted in 2017 discovered more than a hundred distinct bacterial strains on $1 banknotes in circulation in New York City. Propionibacterium acnes, a bacteria known to cause acne, and Streptococcus oralis, a typical bacteria present in our mouths, were among of the most frequent bugs on our bills.
The research team at New York University, lead by biologist Jane Carlton, also found traces of DNA from domestic animals and from particular bacteria that are only found in certain meals.
A related study found DNA traces on ATM keypads that represented the types of foods people in various communities ate. The consumption of domestic chicken in central Harlem was higher than that of bony fish and mollusc species in Flushing and Chinatown. People’s food transfers from their fingertips to touchscreens, allowing researchers to partially reconstruct their most recent meals.
We don’t just leave food behind. Almost 80% of US dollar bills contain traces of cocaine. Although less frequently than cocaine, other narcotics such as morphine, heroin, methamphetamine, and amphetamine can also be seen on bills.
It may not seem very useful to identify the drugs or meals people consume based on their financial relationships, but scientists are using this kind of information to comprehend disease trends. The majority of the microorganisms that the New York researchers discovered do not spread illness. However, other research has revealed that disease-causing bacterial or viral strains might travel with our money.
Salmonella and a deadly type of E. coli are only two examples of the bacteria that may live on pennies, nickels, and dimes and can hide out on ATMs. The extent to which other bacteria, such the skin-infection-causing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), could transmit illnesses is unknown, but it has been identified on Canadian and American banknotes.
Despite our best efforts, germs follow us and are carried by us. The good news is that the majority of exposures don’t make us ill, even though disease-causing microorganisms can live in locations like ATMs.
