What is microbiology?
Question
Rikku Kiva
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Answer ( 1 )
Basic definition
Microbiology is the branch of biology that looks at living things that are so tiny you need a microscope to see them clearly, like bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, protozoa and even some algae. Those organisms are called microbes and they are everywhere.
What areas it covers
The field study their structure, metabolism, genetics, ecology, evolution and the ways they interact with plants animals and us humans. It also look at the diseases they cause and the good stuff they do such as fermenting food or cleaning up oil spills.
Major subdisciplines
Bacteriology for bacteria, virology for viruses, mycology for fungi, parasitology for protozoa and worms, immunology for the host response, plus microbial genetics, ecology and biotechnology. All of them overlap a lot.
Tools of the trade
Scientists uses microscopy, pure culture, biochemical tests, molecular biology, genome sequencing and bioinformatics to find out how microbes lives and behaves.
Why it matters
Microbes drives the global cycles of carbon nitrogen and sulfur, they make half of the oxygen we breath, spoil our food, but also produce antibiotics, enzymes and vaccines. Understanding them is crucial for medicine agriculture and industry.