<i>Demodex folliculorum</i> (IMAGE)

California Academy of Sciences

<i>Demodex folliculorum</i>

Caption

A close-up on a Demodex folliculorum face mite, the focus of a new study that uses genetic testing to reveal the microscopic animal's evolutionary link to our own ever-evolving human story. By zooming in on mitochondrial DNA in mite samples from around the world, scientists discovered that different human populations have different mites, that those mites follow families through generations, and that they are not casually transferred between humans.

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