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.

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To learn more about Yachtolt, visit yawcult.co.

.jp.j. That's y-A-K-U-Lt.C-O.J.p. When it comes to a guide for your gut, count on Yacolt.

This is Scientific Americans' 60-second science. I'm Jason Goldman. Got a minute? Ticks. The tiny

arachnids feed on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes even reptiles and amphibians,

and disease-causing parasites travel in that blood, from tick to victim and from victim to tick.

The most familiar tick-borne illness is probably Lyme

disease, but ticks can also transfer Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, cue fever, and even a form

of encephalitis. Without treatment, many of these diseases can be fatal. Keeping tick populations in check is thus good for public health,

and it seems that the mere presence of large wildlife helps. Because a new study done in Kenya

finds that areas without large wildlife saw tick populations rise as much as 370%.

The finding in the proceedings of the Royal Society B

caught researchers by surprise,

because ticks love to land on large animals.

We expected if we lost large animals that we would also lose ticks.

University of California Santa Barbara ecologist, Georgia Titcombe.

Before they get to their big targets, such as deer or antelopes,

ticks attack small mammals like rodents.

So what we found is when you lose the large animals,

you have an increase in a hyperabundance of these rodents.

...