How Can Bacteria Help Us Save Our World?

The oldest and most hardy living things are bacteria. Due to their resilience, bacteria, the first living group to evolve, have survived all the ice ages and harsh temperatures our planet has seen over the past 4 billion years.

From volcanoes to the deepest ocean, bacteria may grow in settings no living species can survive. Bacteria can teach us about resilience and adaptation on our world, which is undergoing severe environmental catastrophes and where many species, including ours, are endangered. Scientists are researching how microbes can improve global health.

In recent years, scientific investigations have shown how crucial bacteria are for holistic health. The bacterial ecosystem in our intestines affects almost all of our biological systems, from mood to cognition to immunity to metabolism.

Why shouldn't our Earth, which harbours countless living organisms, be as dependent on bacteria as we are? Every living thing, soil, ocean, and ecosystem has a microbiota, and the balance of these bacterial ecosystems sustains life.

How might these little, incredibly durable organisms help us become more sustainable?

Coral reefs, which will disappear in a few years, are vital to the ocean environment. Reefs are dying under warmer ocean waters and water pollution, so we must maintain them alive to prevent them from harming us all.

A group of scientists found that bacteria improve coral reefs' self-resistance, immunological, and detoxification systems. Scientists utilise "coral probiotics" they made in the lab to strengthen reefs, which contain microbiota like ourselves.

For years, chemical pesticides, hormones, improper practices, pollution, and desertification have depleted our lands, just as the oceans. The rate of soil degradation could cause worldwide food shortages in the future.

Growing fruits and vegetables in soil that loses vital values also reduces their nutritional worth. As soil health declines, so do we. Restoring the soil microbiota with external treatments may break this cycle, say experts!

Similar to our intestines, soils can benefit from probiotics, or helpful microorganisms. Adding the proper bacteria to the soil at the right time can make plants more water-resistant.

Pollination by bees produces one-third of all agricultural crops. Most life on Earth depends on honeybees. Indeed, climate change, ecological loss, and pollution are reducing bee populations.

A group of scientists believes that improving honey bee health will ensure world food production. So how? Through bacteria. Researchers that examine bee digestive tract microorganisms find that agricultural chemicals destroy beneficial bacteria in bees and humans.

Bees with weakened immune systems get sick and die. Protecting bees requires increasing their benign bacteria, or probiotics.

Human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are a major cause of the climate issue. Many ecosystems are wiped out by greenhouse gases, which raise global temperatures by increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and ocean acidity.

Thus, capturing extra carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is crucial to protecting the world. Apart from high-tech carbon capture techniques, scientists think bacteria that can tolerate harsh climatic conditions may work. Studying volcano-dwelling microorganisms can help maintain ocean carbon balance.

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