You may well have heard about the genome, the microbiome, the metabolome and many other kinds of ‘omes’ in modern biology. Now, make way for the exposome.

The ‘ome’ suffix means simply, the total of everything related to the stem of the word it accompanies. Thus, genome: total of genes; microbiome: total of microbes; and so on.

The exposome is the entirety of things in the environment to which humans are exposed that can influence us in some way. It encompasses lifestyle factors that can cause health or ill health, happiness or depression, and life or death.

The exposome, like other ‘omes’, doesn’t act alone but contributes to the complex interplay of systems biology.