Do we really understand our biological selves?

I have more biological selves than I have family members. I have a basic understanding of many of them, and there are some that I know only by name, and there are others of which I am unaware. Thus, I have to admit that I do not really understand my biological selves.

Some of my biological selves are comprised of communities within my body, like resident bacteria. I can’t identify them, so I don’t claim to understand them.

The biochemistry of my brain and body are parts of the biological self that is enclosed within my skin. That biological self is far too complex to fully understand. For the most part, though, I am content to understand what I need to sustain this self.

The biological selves that extend outward beyond the surface of my skin, my interactions with living and non-living matter—energy forms--exist. These are the selves of which I know the least and would most like to identify and understand.