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Researchers Discover a New Ecosystem in a Glass of Drinking Water

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Recent evidence suggests that clean drinking water might not be so clean after all, according to The Daily Mail. Researchers have discovered that a glass of tap water contains 10 million bacteria. Our drinking water contains about 80,000 bacteria per milliliter.

But never fear; these bacteria can actually improve the quality of your water. The microscopic bacteria grow at the water treatment plant and on the insides of water pipes. The research was performed by scientists at Lunch University in Sweden, who discovered a previously completely unknown ecosystem inside a glass of water. There’s a huge diversity of bacteria species living in our water pipes. These microscopic organism play a more important role than previously thought. There are “good” bacteria that help purify the water and keep it safe--similar to what happens in the human intestines.