I think it should have been a bear, rather than a head.
Geddit? A 'gummy bear'?
Hmm, can you imagine all the germs and donated DNA all wadded together! (From the article [in italics])>'Viewers and passersby are encouraged to apply their own chewed gum to the sculpture so that over the summer months it is transformed', into a breeding ground of bacteria and pathogens.<(my comment [in plain text].)
I wonder if there was a booth that sold gum nearby for non-gum carriers?
K, so I'm not really a germaphobe, but still, so I looked stuff up and found that an exchange of one's salivary microbiota, such as in intimate kissing between couples, can be beneficial, and can even transfer certain immunities by increasing the diversity of good bacteria, which in turn can possibly increase resistance against certain infections as well.
Guess it has it's pros and cons like everything else.
I just don't think it would be wise to lick the statue for any reason, to be on the safe side.
Shaping the oral microbiota through intimate kissing
'Mouth-to-mouth contact has been observed in a wide variety of animals, including fish, birds, and primates and serves a range of functions, including the assessment of physical abilities and the acquirement of food. However, intimate kissing involving full tongue contact and saliva exchange appears to be an adaptive courtship behavior unique to humankind and is common in over 90% of known cultures.'
And if you live near or plan a trip to Amsterdam, you can visit the Microbia Museum and try out their kiss-o-meter and find out the number of microbes (I assume it's your own) are transferred in your kiss, AND apparently have your body scanned to see just what microbes live on you!
Guess that all goes to prove one is never really alone! That's kinda creepy in a way. What if they all turned hostile and started devouring you, both on the outside and in!!!!
Yep, Scifi movie fodder.
The Gummy Bear comment made me think of this-