Understanding the human body is a team effort. That's where the Yachtel group comes in.

Researchers at Yachtolt have been delving into the secrets of probiotics for 90 years.

Yacold also partners with nature portfolio to advance gut microbiome science through the global grants for gut health, an investigator-led research program.

To learn more about Yachtolt, visit yawcult.co.

.jp. That's y-A-K-U-L-T.C-O.J-P. When it comes to a guide for your gut, count on Yacult.

This is Scientific Americans' 60-second science. I'm Ali Wilkinson. Got a minute?

Rather than cringing at the next beetle or wasp in your way,

you might want to thank them for helping to keep city streets clean.

Researchers from North Carolina State University working in New York City found that

hungry urban arthropods play a significant role

in the disposal of trash. For example, in a small section of Manhattan called the Broadway

West Street Corridor, insects consume the equivalent of 60,000 hot dogs a year that would otherwise

be lying in the street. And that's assuming the bugs stopped chowing down in winter.

To assess how much discarded food bugs got rid of, the researchers placed measured amounts of hot dogs, potato chips,

and cookies at 21 park sites and 24 street medians. Contrary to their prediction, location played an

even bigger role in garbage consumption than biodiversity did. Insects gobbled up two to three times more food in the street medians than they did in the parks. The study appears in the journal Global Change Biology. If all that garbage disposal still does not make you an arthropod admirer, then consider this. By competing with larger pest for resources, insects help keep

rat populations down. There's some food for thought. Thanks for the minute. For Scientific

Americans' 60 Second Science, I'm Allie Wilkinson.