Microbes: the New Scientific Frontier!
    I was blown away when I read in Harvard magazine (“The Undiscovered Planet” by Jonathan Shaw, November-December 2007) about the amazing research going on in microbiology!  Â
    It turns out that life on earth is vastly more diverse than anyone had ever imagined. And most of that diversity is at the microbial level. Scientists have come to believe there are billions of species of microbes, ‘exceeding the number of ‘large’ organisms by several orders of magnitude,’ writes Shaw.Â
    Microbes are so diverse, it turns out, that a human being is genetically more similar to a potato than certain microbes are to other microbes! (A potato???)
    This stunning new research calls for reorganizing the traditional classification system of life on earth. Until recently divided into animal, plant, fungus, and one-celled organism ‘kingdoms,’ the system is being redrawn to reflect scientists’ new knowledge. The redrawn map has life on earth divided into three ‘kingdoms,’ two of which are made up entirely of microbes. We–and all the other plants, animals, and fungi on earth–are but a small part of the third kingdom. That third kingdom is characterized by organisms whose cells contain a nucleus.
    So, other than being incredibly numerous and diverse, what is so special about microbes?  They have shaped our world, according to Roberto Kolter, a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at Harvard Medical School. They have played a defining role in the planet’s development. Kolter explains that microbes mediate all the important element cycles on Earth.  Microbes form clouds, break down rocks, deposit minerals, fertilize plants, condition soils, and clean up toxic waste. Â
    And microbes make human life possible, despite the bad rap bacteria get in the form of anti-bacterial soaps, sponges, toilet paper, towels and cutting boards.   Microbes help us digest food and produce vitamins, and potect us against infection. An estimated 100 trillion microbial cells live in and on a human being! This is compared to the estimated 10 trillion human cells in one person. Our lives would be impossible without the assistance of a great many microbes!
       Research in the burgeoning field of microbiology is in its infancy.  According to paleontologist Andrew Knoll, the field will not reach its maturity in his research lifetime or in the research lifetimes of his students. He looks to “whole new horizons in simply understanding the diversity of life as it actually exists–not what we thought existed because we could see it.”
    Clearly, life on our planet is far more complex and diverse than we thought! And perhaps humans’ place in the whole wondrous panoply is different from what we thought. If you would like to read Jonathan Shaw’s entire article, just click on the link below.
http://harvardmagazine.com/2007/11/the-undiscovered-planet.html
May 29th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
A wonderful book I’ve been reading lately has lots of pictures of microbes. It’s called, “Guide to Microlife” by Rainis & Russell. I got it because I’d like to find out more about how to photograph microbes. It doesn’t have a lot on that topic, but it is a great reference for seeing all the different kinds of microbes in ordinary places like our own backyards, ponds & streams, moldy bread, etc.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:41 am
When I read Julia Whitty’s article “Gone: Mass Extinction and the Hazards of Earth’s Vanishing Biodiversity” in the April 25, 2007 issue of Mother Jones:
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/05/gone.html
I expected to be reading about recognizable mammals (the photo in the link and in the print edition shows a stuffed Rhino in a glass case). Whitty does discuss such species, but she takes the reader well beyond and into the depths of the oceans to the microscopic living things that the Harvard Magazine article references.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:44 am
This is consistent with what we are beginning to learn about the importance of microflora in the digestive tract. There are so many bacteria that play many important roles, and we are only beginning to identify and characterize the hugs numbers of specieis. When we kill them off from our systems with broad-spectrum antibiotic or toxins, like mercury that pass through the digestive tract one the way to excretion, we alter our diverse inner environment.
Avoiding toxins and taking probiotics helps.
Diane
May 30th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I just read the article Jim cited on Earth’s vanishing biodiversity. Wow! I was especially struck with the importance of the Rewilding Project the writer describes, an effort gaining popularity among environmentalists. The idea is that it is not nearly enough to create isolated national parks, monuments, etc., to protect biodiversity. Many species won’t thrive in limited space. Instead, we need to link all these protected spaces, give species needed room to move and, it is hoped, thrive.
The article Jim cites also includes some fascinating info about newly discovered marine species.
June 1st, 2008 at 8:56 pm
It is amazing to me how complex and diverse life is at both the macro and micro levels….and how relatively little we know about it. Back in 1999 I read a book by Frank Ryan called “Virus X,” which documents a pattern of emerging diseases, many of which are found in a band around the equator. That book made the case that human alternation of the environment (through encroachment, logging and the like), also has been disrupting the mirobial web of life. This in turn has implications for the spread of disease. I emerged from this with a sense of appreciation for the balances that occur in nature, and an awareness that people working to protect public health and environmentalists have a lot in common and need to work together to heal our planet.