Skip to main content
Toggle User Menu

HHMI BioInteractive

  • Español
  • Search
  • Log In/Create Account
  • Classroom Resources
  • Planning Tools
  • Professional Development
  • About Us

A World without Microbes

Topic
  • Microbiology
  • Bacteria
  • Microbial Ecology
Resource Type
  • Videos
  • Animated Shorts
Level
High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Duration
00:07:01
Favorited By
8 Users
Share This
Description

This short video explores a thought experiment of what the world would be like without any microbes.

Living without stomach bugs, ear infections, and moldy shower curtains sounds great! But living in a world where all microbes have suddenly disappeared would have a lot of negative consequences. We wouldn’t be able to digest our food properly without our gut bacteria. Crops around the world would start to die without the nutrients generated by microbes. Dead fish would float to the surface of lakes and oceans, and ocean life would be extinguished. The video guides us through this thought experiment to illustrate the many roles microbes play in the world as we know it.

This video is part of the series I Contain Multitudes, hosted by science journalist Ed Yong.

Details
Key Terms

archaea, decomposition, digestion, fermentation, gnotobiosis, Louis Pasteur, microbiome, microorganism, nutrient cycling, oxygen

Primary Literature

Gilbert, Jack A. and Josh D. Neufeld. “Life in a World without Microbes.” PLoS Biology 12, 12 (2014): e1002020. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002020.

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level

This resource and the accompanying documents comply with accessibility standards in accordance with the final rule for Section 508 of the National Rehabilitation Act.
Version History
Date Published 03.23.18
Date Updated 03.23.18
Curriculum Connections
NGSS (2013)

HS-LS4.B

AP Biology (2019)

EVO-1, EVO-3

IB Biology (2016)

5.2, 6.3

AP Environmental Science (2013)

II.C

Vision and Change (2009)

CC1

Materials
Transcript (PDF) 334 KB
Related Science News
Tracking microbes people carry may predict future health

Explore Related Content

Other Resources About I Contain Multitudes
Showing of
Illustration of a magnifying glass showing bacteria on the outline of a body.
Film Activities
Activity for Solving Crimes with the Necrobiome
Animated Shorts
Termites Digest Wood Thanks to Microbes
Animated Shorts
Superbugs That Resist Antibiotics Can Evolve in 11 Days
Animated Shorts
How Giant Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents
Animated Shorts
Mosquitoes Might Save Lives, Thanks to Bacteria
Animated Shorts
A Wasp Mom’s Gift: Blankets of Bacteria
Animated Shorts
Nature’s Cutest Symbiosis: The Bobtail Squid
Film Activities
Activity for How Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents
Animated Shorts
Solving Crimes with the Necrobiome
Animated Shorts
Microbes from Mom: Vaginal Birth vs. C-Section
Other Related Resources
Showing of
Illustration of a magnifying glass showing bacteria on the outline of a body.
Film Activities
Activity for Solving Crimes with the Necrobiome
Animated Shorts
Solving Crimes with the Necrobiome
Labs & Demos
Winogradsky Columns: Microbial Ecology in the Classroom
Animated Shorts
How Giant Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents
Animated Shorts
Nature’s Cutest Symbiosis: The Bobtail Squid
Click & Learn
Winogradsky Column: Microbial Ecology in a Bottle
Animated Shorts
Termites Digest Wood Thanks to Microbes
Film Activities
Activity for How Tube Worms Survive at Hydrothermal Vents
Clips
Bacterial Growth
Data Points
Maternal Microbiota Impacts Offspring Immune System

HHMI BioInteractive

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Newsletter Signup
  • HHMI.org
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy