The microbial jungles all over the place (and you) - Scott Chimileski and Roberto Kolter
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-microbial-jungles-all-over-the-place-and-you-scott-chimileski-and-roberto-kolter As we walk through our daily environments, we're surrounded...
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As we walk through our daily environments, we're surrounded by exotic creatures that are too small to see with the naked eye. We usually imagine these microscopic organisms, or microbes, as asocial cells that float around by themselves. But in reality, microbes gather by the millions to form vast communities known as biofilms. Natural biofilms are like miniature jungles filled with many kinds of microbes from across the web of life. Bacteria and archaea mingle with other microbes like algae, fungi, and protozoa, forming dense, organized structures that grow on almost any surface. When you pad across a river bottom, touch the rind of an aged cheese, tend your garden soil, or brush your teeth, you're coming into contact with these invisible ...
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As we walk through our daily environments, we're surrounded by exotic creatures that are too small to see with the naked eye. We usually imagine these microscopic organisms, or microbes, as asocial cells that float around by themselves. But in reality, microbes gather by the millions to form vast communities known as biofilms. Natural biofilms are like miniature jungles filled with many kinds of microbes from across the web of life. Bacteria and archaea mingle with other microbes like algae, fungi, and protozoa, forming dense, organized structures that grow on almost any surface. When you pad across a river bottom, touch the rind of an aged cheese, tend your garden soil, or brush your teeth, you're coming into contact with these invisible ...
