Sandy Hook, NJ -- Harvard Microbial Science Initiative - Microbiology, symbionts, epibionts - Brookdale College Ocean Institute, Dave Grant

The Microbial World at Harvard University
The Harvard Center for the Environment
Dave Grant - Ocean Institute at Sandy Hook, NJ

Questions explored at the Microbial Science Initiative "Windows to the Invisible Microbial World" included: What are microbes? Why should anyone care? What have you taught about microbial sciences? Topics included: -Chemosynthetic Symbioses -Bugs Making Drugs -Microbial Diversity in the Cryosphere -Biogeochemical Cycles -Fungi -Symbiotic Microbes and their Hosts	Microbes are not just disease organisms. They are essential to the regulation of various environmental processes, and include many bacteria and fungi that are beneficial to humans.

Tools of the Trade in Microbiology include (of course) microscopes and petri dishes.	Labelling individual bacteria with bioluminescent markers helps with their identification under the microscope. (View of hundreds of individual cells)

Step #1 is to collect microbes from soil.	Measured samples are repeatedly diluted to isolate individual organisms for culture.

A set of serial dilutions helps sort out different microbes to culture and identify.	Once they are separated and incubated for 24-hours, individual microbes form "pure" cultures from individuals.

(Above) Different culture media (nutrients) helps identify bacteria by encouraging the growth of one species over others (Only a tiny fraction of microbes have been successfully cultured) (Right) Sensitivity to tabs soaked in various products also helps identify species and mutations, as well as the effectiveness of antibacterial agents (Note how poorly mouth wash does in comparison to Lysol* and Tilex.* (*Not a commercial endorsement)


Different microbes have different growth rates and forms.	Under the microscope, most look similar, so culturing is necessary for proper identification.

A Culture Clash!	Different colonies compete for nutrients in the petri dish.

One of the most interesting microbes we cultured was Vibrio fischeri which lives inside squid. (Right) When cultured in an aerobic environment and in sufficient concentrations, the culture gives off a characteristic greenish bioluminescent glow in the dark. At night, the glow of the bacteria helps camouflage the squid by allowing it to blend in with the moonlight at the surface. >>>>>

While waiting for our cultures to incubate, we were entertained by the denizens of Harvard Square. Including:
First-rate musicians...	Fashion faux pas
Exercise videos...	and health foods...
The message microbes are sending is clear: "The world can't function without us." The human body has about 10-trillion cells, but harbors about 100-trillion microbes ( Most are beneficial!)	Microbes are important because they don't all cause disease. They are essential in food production, nutrient cycles, bio-geochemical cycles, agriculture, plant health, medicine, and protecting us from pathogens that might otherwise infect us.

Take the Microbe Quiz! For more information, follow these links: MicrobeWorld Radio - Daily Podcasts www.microbeworld.org http://www.msi.harvard.edu/edumission.html http://www.msi.harvard.edu/publications.html http://microbialgenomics.energy.gov/education.shtml http://www.surfnetkids.com/microbes.htm microbes.htm