The microbial world comprises all the tiny organisms that we cannot see with the naked eye. These microorganisms can be bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, tardigrades or eukaryotic unicellular animals. While we are mainly focusing on the bacterial world on this blog, other microbial players are just as important. The interactions between the different organisms across the different kingdoms of life are what make many ecological niches so special, colourful and significant.
Microbes are everywhere. And some have superpowers that allow them to grow in extremely challenging and harsh environments. Especially at the dark and cold bottom of the sea, extremophiles flourish since they interact with other microbes and eat pollutants and contaminants. Interestingly, their microbial activities can also impact our global climate.
Some nasty viruses can live in mosquitos and get transported into our bodies, when these infected mosquitos bite us. Luckily, some bacteria have superpowers that can fight off these viruses. Find out how the bacterium Wolbachia protects both mosquitos and us from these nasty viruses.
Microbes and bacteria affect our lives in every possible way. This is why we should all learn more about these fascinating organisms and how to make the best of their impact. Here, I share with you my favourite books about microbes in which you learn how our amazing microbial friends influence your health, body and the environment and even shaped human history.
A deadly fungus kills many exotic amphibians. Luckily, some bacteria antibiotics to kill the fungal intruder and thus protect the animal. With this colourful strategy, the right microbial community might even save whole species from extinction.
Bacteria are constantly attacked by other microbes like viruses. But also bacteria developed mechanisms that make them immune to viral intruders. Read on to find out how bacteria fight off viruses to protect themselves and the whole bacterial community.
Microbes are everywhere, including our favorite foods. Learn how microbes help preserve foods while also adding flavors, textures, and nutrients to our meals.
The microbial world is super colorful and diverse.
Even though, we sometimes hear too many negative news articles about certain players of the microbial world, we should not forget about all the other interesting and helpful microbes.
To remind you that the microbial world consists of so many more players, we assembled this list of common and interesting microbes.
The players in the microbial world always interact with each other driving ecology and evolution forward. Bacteriophages thank their bacterial hosts for their production in a very special way: They protect bacteria from antibiotic attacks by forming shielding walls around the cells. While the microbial world gets more and more complex with such mechanisms, it also represents another strategy for antimicrobial resistances.
The differences between bacteria and viruses are based on their structure, size and reproduction. While bacteria are generally considered living organisms, viruses are not.
The microbial world comprises all the tiny organisms that we cannot see with the naked eye. These microorganisms can be bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, tardigrades or eukaryotic unicellular animals. While we are mainly focusing on the bacterial world on this blog, other microbial players are just as important. The interactions between the different organisms across the different kingdoms of life are what make many ecological niches so special, colourful and significant.