Science says our smartphones are a reflection of ourselves. So what does it mean if I've

dropped mine in the toilet 3 times?

Hey guys, Tara here for Dnews - and I've said it before, I'll say it again: Everything is

disgusting. Especially your cellphone. It's like a tiny bacteria delivery device. And

a new study shows that those bacteria - are indeed a reflection of you.

A group of researchers from the University of Oregon, sequenced microbes from the index

fingers and thumbs of 17 subjects, as well as microbes from the surface of their smartphone

touchscreens.

The goal was to see if our favorite and most widely used possessions resemble us, microbially

speaking. And it turns out - they do.

Researchers found that 82% of the most common bacteria found on the subjects' fingers - were

also present on their phones. Meaning your personal microbiome - which is the specific

collection of bacteria that's unique to every person - closely resembles the bacteria on

your phone.

The three most commonly found ones were Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and Corynebacterium, which

is a mostly harmless bacteria that lives on human skin - but has been known to cause diptheria,

an upper respiratory tract illness.

Interestingly, they also found that women seem to share more microbial similarity with

their phones - than men do. Although there's no current explanation on why that may be.

Now it's kind of obvious that our cell phones would match us, since most of us are glued

to them all day long - but the study does have some interesting implications.

Specifically, it paves the way for potentially using someone's personal effects as a means

of monitoring their health. Not only is it non-invasive, it doesn't really require direct

participation from the person. Meaning it could be a fast - and easy way - to conduct

large-scale microbial studies, analyze our exposure to biological threats, or screen

the microbes of hospital and healthcare workers.

Currently, 1 in every 20 patients at a healthcare facility, will contract a hospital-acquired

infection at some point. So being able to screen those people - and their caretakers

- could prevent the spread of disease, as well as thousands of hospital-related deaths.

Sounds like a pretty good deal!

And speaking of good deals, if you do have a cell phone - which of course you do, cause

it's 2014 - then you gotta check out Ting.

Ting is a new mobile phone service that puts the power back in your hands, AND saves you

money in the process.

With Ting, there are no yearly contracts, no plans, and no hidden fees. And you only

pay the data and minutes you actually use. A novel concept! But a good one.

All of your monthly bills come with complete transparency - so you can see exactly what

you're getting charged for. They also have great 24/7 customer service, so if you have

any questions - you can call, and you're guaranteed to get a real live person on the other line.

Did I mention that it's cheap? If you hit up dnews.ting.com and click on their Savings

Calculator, you can see just how much Ting would save you over the next 2 years. 98%

of customers save money just by switching - so what do you have to lose? Hit up dnews.ting.com

- and remember, every visit to that link helps support the show.

In the meantime, if you have questions, comments, anything you wanna say about this episode

- just leave em in the comments below. Otherwise, thanks for watching!