It is almost impossible to believe, but there are approximately 100 trillion micro-organisms (most of them bacteria, but also viruses, fungi and protozoa) living in the human gastrointestinal tract.

Following are a few observations on current topics in the news.

I usually don’t make predictions with regard to politics.

Children have been abused and targeted by priests, pastors and leaders. High-profile men in houses of worship have used their power to be sexually inappropriate with women. They are without excuse; their sin puts children and women in horrible situations.

When I was much younger, it was not uncommon to purchase leeches at the local drug store and use them to treat a black eye. Modern medicine in the United States would generally find such use archaic and abhorrent. Not so in Russia.

If you commit crimes, you should be punished.

Finding the body of a person who died 5,300 years ago would be most rare. But it happened in 1991 when a group of hikers found a frozen corpse and his belongings in the mountainous border between Austria and Italy. 

Bees evolved alongside the flowering plants, and their most remarkable traits all developed in the context of that relationship.

The last column I wrote appeared in the Times-Union on July 19 — the same day an EF3 tornado went through the center of my hometown, Marshalltown, Iowa, causing massive destruction.

The Doomsday Clock was conceived by University of Chicago scientists who had helped develop the first atomic weapons.

Even in the 21st century, when medical discoveries abound, the pancreas carries an aura of mystery.

Only President Donald Trump knows why he says what he does.

In some places women are considered polluted, even toxic, while on their periods, and an oppressive regime has evolved around this natural bodily function. 

An outfit called Judicial Watch released a bunch of government reports July 10.

I tell people that I had a “drug problem” when I was growing up — my parents drug me to church every time the doors were open.

Residents in the Midwest are generally aware that ticks carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. But ticks are responsible for other fatal diseases as well.

Not too many years back, smeared tiny wings, legs and antennas made vision difficult during midsummer drives. Nowadays, a drive through northern New York, for example, yielded barely a blemish.

Last week I wrote about the Democratic Socialist who won the U.S. Rep. primary in New York’s 14th District. Here are a couple more observations.

From The Mayor I’m sure you have noticed the North Buffalo Street project construction ramping up this summer.

While driving through town there is a sign that catches my attention. In the middle of a red heart on a white background are the words “Obey Jesus.”

Several years ago a siege of bronchitis caused me to suffer with a severe cough that in turn resulted in sudden shortness of breath, gasping for air and likely my demise. Fortunately, a trip to the emergency room, a Medrol dosepack and two inhalers solved my problem. Since then I no longer take the simple act of breathing for granted.

It’s fun to watch the pendulum of politics swing.

President Donald Trump reversed his position on zero tolerance immigration enforcement and separating families at the border.

A person may be down but they are never out of God’s grace and mercy.

Mosquitoes are our most persistent and deadly enemy. They have killed great leaders, decimated armies and decided the fates of nations.