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For about 100 years, scientists thought that peptic ulcers were caused by stress, spicy food, and alcohol. Later, researchers added stomach acid to the list of causes and began treating ulcers with antacids. Now it is known that peptic ulcers are predominantly caused by Helicobacter pylori, a spiral-shaped bacterium that normally exist in the stomach.
The average human gut is home to perhaps 500 to 1,000 different species of bacteria.
In the United States, an estimated 50 million unnecessary antibiotics are prescribed for viral respiratory infections.
The Babylonians wrote numbers in a system that used 60 as the base value rather than the number 10. They did not have a symbol for "zero."
About 100 new prescription or over-the-counter drugs come into the U.S. market every year.