American Council on Science and Health microbiologist Alex Berezow takes on one of the most pervasive myths on social media today: all things natural are good for us, while rapid advances in technology threaten our very existence. In reality, the exact opposite is the case.

Our lives get better the further away we get from “living off the land.” Our ancestors, Berezow notes, had very natural existences—and they often led difficult lives cut unceremoniously short by infectious disease, not 10,000 years ago but just a century ago.

Things are different today. With access to a steady supply of nutritious food, antibiotics and vaccines (among many other innovations), we live longer, healthier lives than ever before.

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