Microbiology

ANSWERS

Studying all living organisms that are too small to be seen with the naked eye is known as microbiology. Bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, prions, protozoa, and algae are all examples of microbes.’ These microbes are important in nutrient cycling, biodegradation/biodeterioration, climate change, food spoilage, disease causation and control, and biotechnology. Microbes can be used in various ways, including the production of life-saving drugs, the production of biofuels, the removal of pollution, and the production/processing of food and drink.

Famous microbiologists’ research has resulted in some of the most important discoveries that have underpinned modern society, such as Jenner and his smallpox vaccine, Fleming and the discovery of penicillin, Marshall and the identification of the link between Helicobacter pylori infection and stomach ulcers, and Zur Hausen, who identified the link between papillomavirus and cervical cancer.

Microbiology was born with the invention of the microscope. Although others may have seen microbes before him, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch draper who enjoyed lens grinding and building microscopes, was the first to provide proper documentation of his findings. Protozoans from animal guts and bacteria from tooth scrapings were among the organisms he described and illustrated. His records were excellent because he produced high-quality magnifying lenses. During the mid-1670s, Leeuwenhoek communicated his findings to the British Royal Society in letters. Although his observations piqued people’s interest, no one seriously attempted to replicate or extend them. Thus, Leeuwenhoek’s “animalcules,” as he called them, remained natural oddities to his contemporaries, and interest in microbiology grew slowly. Only later, during the 18th-century revival of a long-standing debate over whether life could develop from nonliving material, did the importance of microorganisms in the scheme of nature and human health and welfare become clear.

Microbiology research has been and continues to be critical in meeting many of the world’s current aspirations and challenges, such as ensuring food, water, and energy security for a healthy population on a habitable planet. Microbiology research will also answer big questions like ‘how diverse is life on Earth?’ and ‘does life exist elsewhere in the Universe?’

QUESTION

Microbiology