Microbes are everywhere, but we can’t see them. They make us sick, but we can’t live without them. Microbes are an integral ingredient in this planet’s ecosystem, but we understand so little about them.

Most of us think of microbes as disease-causing germs if we think about them at all. Yet those who study this mysterious, silent, invisible world know that the creatures that populate it do far more good than harm.

Microbes were the first life forms on Earth. They form the basis of the food web and are responsible for the production of most of the Earth’s oxygen. Ultimately, all life relies on these tiny, invisible creatures.

American
Society
for
Microbiology