For this special occasion, Patisserie Holtkamp Amsterdam has baked a beautiful cake. But this isn’t your typical birthday cake. This one is baked especially for microbes.
At first glance, you might think, "yuck!", and that’s exactly the point. The microbes are showing (and smelling) that they are eating the cake, and you’re better off not taking a bite yourself. But if you look closely, you’ll see that moulds can actually be quite beautiful. They come in all sorts of shapes and colours – from green and fluffy to white with black spots.
From Penicillium to Aspergillus and Rhizopus, these microbes excel at breaking down organic material, one of the vital functions they perform on Earth. Just imagine how much food, leaves, and even plastic would pile up without these tiny cleaners. They also convert it all into new nutrients, feeding plants and other organisms.
The cake will be on display in the museum from 30 September, and every day the microbes will change its appearance. How fast will it disappear? That depends on the microbes' appetite. Will you come and see it soon?
Practical information:
| When | From Monday 30 September |
| Where | ARTIS-Micropia - ground floor |
Come see it before the cake is completely gone!