Major shifts by the smallest world

Technology is developing at a rapid pace. We’re sending space probes to Mars, printing in 3-D, and building ever-faster supercomputers. There’s also a revolution going on in biotechnology. Driven by new technological possibilities, we’re unravelling DNA. And, we are becoming increasingly aware that, in order to survive, we need to interact differently with the world. The exciting thing is, we’re only standing at the threshold of an era of great, revolutionary discoveries in the micro-world.

Medically indispensable

Microorganisms have a bad reputation. People think they’re bad for our health. When they think of microorganisms, many people think first about fungal infections, cavities, and illnesses like flu, or worse: AIDS and Ebola. But the number of harmful types doesn’t even come close to the number of harmless ones, or the ones that actually support our health.

Thanks to microorganisms, we have antibiotics and vaccines, which have allowed us to make great progress. And once again, the medical world is on the brink of a revolution, accelerated by microorganisms.

Microbes in production

Mechanising our production processes has helped us make great progress, but has also caused environmental pollution. However, we are on the threshold of hopeful developments towards more sustainable processes, in part due to the use of microorganisms. Consider the stonewashing of denim jeans through the use of enzymes from fungi. Or, the production of biofuel from algae, ‘green gold’.

Agricultural
improvers

Agriculture and microorganisms have a natural bond. The fertilisation of the land, the production of fodder for cattle, compost heaps. These are all traditional applications of microbes on the farm. Without microbes, plants grow badly or not at all, and agriculture would be impossible. We use microbes more and more frequently to increase crop yields. Thanks to microorganisms, we can strongly reduce the number of chemical pesticides and herbicides in agriculture.

Tiny, powerful cleaners

Microbes are the ultimate recyclers in nature. They break everything down and clean everything up. From autumn leaves to cadavers to even metals, acids, petroleum and natural gas. Microbes use the broken-down building blocks to grow, and also make them available to other organisms in the ecosystem. This offers tremendous opportunities for all kinds of sustainable applications. From soil fumigation to water treatment.

Art and acrobatics

The use of microorganisms makes the world’s problems more manageable. The potential applications are seemingly endless. There are tens of millions of species that we still don’t know about, and still don’t know what we can do with. The micro-world is a world full of possibilities. A world that stimulates the imagination. Not only for scientists, but also for artists. It is a world that amazes, fascinates and inspires. Where is it going? And what will we discover and learn along the way?