Page 14 - The Regent Digest Volume 12 Issue 34
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what’s called the microbiome (community of
FROM THE MICROBES Inside our bodies, billions of microbes’ form
microorganisms). Most of these are bacteria,
and they live in places like our guts, skin, and
SCIENCE mouths. They help us digest food and boost
our immune systems. When things get out of
control, the presence of some causes health
FACULTY Article by Dr. Afekhai Patrick PLANET problems like cholera, diarrhoea, malaria, ty-
phoid and pneumonia.
EARTH’S While many microbes are helpful, some can
UNSUNG make us sick (Gilbert, Blaser, Caporaso, Jans-
son, Lynch, and Knight, 2018). Bacteria and vi-
HEROES ruses cause diseases like food poisoning, and
they have been a big part of human history,
causing things like the COVID-19 pandemic of Advanced imaging, using equipment
January 30, 2020. such as the electron microscope, helps
n the complex web of life, there is a tiny to closely study the microbes and learn
but powerful universe that often goes Even though they are tiny, microbes are in- more about how they work (Zhang & Li,
I unnoticed, called Microbes. These tiny credibly diverse and adaptable. They can live 2019). Scientists are also finding ways to
beings, like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and proto- in all kinds of places, from hot springs to icy use microbes to help us with big prob-
zoa, are too small for us to see but have a big glaciers, soil, water bodies, plant tissues, an- lems like pollution, renewable energy,
impact on life on Earth. They are everywhere, imal bodies, dead organic matter and even and medicine.
from the air we breathe to the food we eat in extreme places like radioactive waste sites
and even inside our bodies, playing important (Rothschild, Weissbrod, Barkan, Kurilshikov, Ko- By understanding more about microbes,
roles, such as digestion, metabolism and fer- rem, Zeevi, & Segal 2018). we can make the world a better and
mentation in keeping things running smoothly. healthier place for everyone. In the end,
Thanks to new technology, scientists can now microbes remind us that everything in
Microbes are like the designers of the Earth’s study microbes like never before. They can nature is connected. They have been
ecosystems, quietly working behind the look at the genetic makeup of entire commu- around since the beginning of life on
scenes to keep things in balance by carrying nities of microbes and see things they could Earth and continue to play important
out functions such as nutrient cycling, waste not see before. roles in shaping our planet and our lives.
degradation, food chains and webs. They
break down dead plants and animals, recycle
important nutrients like carbon and nitrogen,
and help regulate the air we breathe. Without
microbes, life on Earth would not be possible
Falkow, S. (2004). Molecular Koch’s postulates applied to bacterial Rothschild, D., Weissbrod, O., Barkan, E., Kurilshikov, A., Korem, T., Zeevi,
(Falkow,2004).
pathogenicity—a personal recollection 15 years later. Nature Reviews D., & Segal, E. (2018). Environment dominates over host genetics in
Microbiology, 2(1), 67-72. shaping human gut microbiota. Nature, 555(7695), 210-215.
Gilbert, J. A., Blaser, M. J., Caporaso, J. G., Jansson, J. K., Lynch, S. V., Zhang, R., & Li, Y. (2019). Advances in high-throughput sequencing and
& Knight, R. (2018). Current understanding of the human microbiome. its application in decoding the gut microbiota in liver cirrhosis. Journal
Nature Medicine, 24(4), 392-400. of Gastroenterology, 54(11), 1005-1015.
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