A recent study published in the journal Nature found that “bacteria operate in a remarkably similar way to human cells, possessing the same core machinery required to switch immune pathways on and off.” This understanding that we are not that different from bacteria could “ultimately pave the way to novel approaches for treating a host of human diseases, from autoimmune disorders like Rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease,” the authors said.