It’s tough being a microbe. We really don’t
get the respect we deserve. We’re too small for you humans to see,
so it’s easy for you to forget all about us. Out of sight, out of
mind. Unless, of course, we happen to do something dramatic like
cause an epidemic or contaminate your water supply. Now that gets
your attention! You think you’re in charge with your vaccines and
your antibacterial soap. But it’s time to face some facts. We’ve
been around a lot longer than you. We outnumber you and outweigh
you. We’re super-adaptable and we live in all sorts of places where
you’d be toast. Sure, we do some things you don’t like now and then,
but we do a lot more good. We make it possible for you so-called
“higher life forms” to live comfortably on this planet, to have your
cake and eat it, too. So let’s have a little appreciation around
here! Read on and you’ll see — it really is a microbial world!
A drop of seawater can contain millions of one-celled
organisms called microbes. While the microbes that cause
illnesses get much of the attention, most microbes are
beneficial to life on Earth. In fact, microbes living in the
ocean generate much of the oxygen we breathe!
|
|
Special thanks to Dr. Tom Hanson, College of Marine
and Earth Studies, and Dr. Eric Wommack, College of Agriculture and
Natural Resources, and the College of Marine and Earth Studies,
University of Delaware, whose illustrated presentation provided the
basis for this site. The animated microbe character was created by
Micah Fegley, University of Delaware Media Services; the voice was
provided by Pete Booker. Images used in this site were in the public
domain or used with permission or license from the following
sources: MicrobeLibrary, American Society for Microbiology (ASM);
Public Health Image Library, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC); Bioimaging Laboratory, Delaware Biotechnology
Institute (DBI), University of Delaware; and Microbe Zoo, Digital
Learning Center for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University.
It's a
Microbial World
