"Microbe" is short for "microorganism". Microbes are therefore microscopically small organisms - living beings that cannot be seen with the naked eye. This very broad definition is based on a single criterion: the resolving power of the human eye. According to this definition, microbes are all life forms with a diameter of less than...

Since the discovery of the microscope, it has been known that some bacteria react to optical stimuli. But how do they do this without eyes? some bacteria can perceive the intensity and colour of the surrounding light with the help of light-absorbing proteins. These proteins are similar to the photoreceptors in the human retina. Purple...

Bacteria can actually build structures that are comparable to our cities. This form of life is known as a biofilm.

Microbes can't tell the time from a clock face, of course, but some bacteria have an internal timekeeping system that is synchronised with their environment. Similar to how our internal clock regulates sleep and wakefulness, some bacteria track time to switch between activities. It can be important for bacteria to know whether it is...

At least in the past, microbes similar to today's cyanobacteria triggered an ice age (Huronian ice age or Palaeoproterozoic glaciation) that lasted almost 300 million years.
These microbes evolved over three billion years ago and have the special ability to produce biomass with the help of sunlight and CO2, i.e. to...

Fungi are neither plants, animals nor bacteria. They form an independent group, including unicellular yeasts, multicellular, filamentous moulds and, of course, the classic forest fungi. Only the unicellular yeasts are categorised as microbes due to their size and for historical reasons...

We've all been there: there's only one biscuit left on the plate and everyone wants it. Microorganisms also compete for nutrients. This is why many organisms have developed substances that give them an advantage in this competition: Antibiotics. They serve both attack and defence. They help to eliminate the competition and ward off...

The odour and taste of microorganisms depends on various factors. For example, the type and number of microorganisms and what they feed on are important. When breaking down their own food, many microbes produce metabolic products that we can detect with our nose and mouth.