Cosma / Communication / Knowledge / Realm / Terrestrial / Life / Microorganism
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Introduction1
FuseSchool Global Education (YouTube Channel)
FuseSchool (Facebook)
Dictionary
microorganism : an organism (such as a bacterium or protozoan) of microscopic or ultramicroscopic size — Merriam-Webster See also OneLook
Encyclopedia
Microorganism, or microbe, is a microscopic organism, which may be single-celled or multicellular. Microorganisms include all unicellular organisms and so are extremely diverse. Of the three domains of life identified by Carl Woese, all of the Archaea and Bacteria are microorganisms. These were previously grouped together in the two domain system as Prokaryotes, the other being the Eukaryotes. The third domain Eukaryota includes all multicellular organisms and many unicellular protists and protozoans. Some protists are related to animals and some to green plants. Many of the multicellular organisms are microscopic, namely micro-animals, some fungi and some algae, but these are not discussed here. They live in almost every habitat from the poles to the equator, deserts, geysers, rocks and the deep sea. Some are adapted to extremes such as very hot or very cold conditions, others to high pressure and a few such as Deinococcus radiodurans to high radiation environments. Microorganisms also make up the microbiota found in and on all multicellular organisms. — Wikipedia
Microorganism (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Microorganism (Biology Online)
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Inspiration
Talks about Microorganisms (TED: Ideas Worth Spreading)
Articles about Microorganisms (Big Think)
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Innovation
Science
Microbiology is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, protistology, mycology, immunology, and parasitology. Eukaryotic microorganisms possess membrane-bound organelles and include fungi and protists, whereas prokaryotic organisms—all of which are microorganisms—are conventionally classified as lacking membrane-bound organelles and include Bacteria and Archaea. Microbiologists traditionally relied on culture, staining, and microscopy. However, less than 1% of the microorganisms present in common environments can be cultured in isolation using current means. Microbiologists often rely on molecular biology tools such as DNA sequence based identification, for example the 16S rRNA gene sequence used for bacteria identification. — Wikipedia
Microbiology (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Microbiology (Biology Online)
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Preservation
Museum
Microbes (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History)
Health and Our Microbiome (American Museum of Natural History)
Library
DDC: 579 Microbiology (Library Thing)
Subject: Microbiology (Library Thing)
Subject: Microbiology (Open Library)
LCC: QR Microbiology (UPenn Online Books)
Subject: Microbiology (UPenn Online Books)
LCC: QR Microbiology (Library of Congress)
Subject: Microbiology (Library of Congress)
Subject: Microbiology (WorldCat)
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Participation
Education
Microbiology (Ology, American Museum of Natural History)
The Littlest Organisms (Biology4Kids)
Microbial Life Resources (Science Education Resource Center, Carleton College)
In the Classroom (American Society for Microbiology)
Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education (American Society for Microbiology)
MERLOT: Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching
OER Commons: Open Educational Resources
Course
Microbiology (MIT OpenCourseWare)
Microbiology (edX)
Community
Occupation
CareerOneStop, YouTube Channel (U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration)
CareerOneStop, Official Website (U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration)
Microbiologists (CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration)
Microbiologists (US Occupational Outlook Handbook)
Organization
International Union of Microbiological Societies
Microbiology Society
American Society for Microbiology
News
Microbiology (Microbiology Society)
Clinical Microbiology Reviews (American Society for Microbiology)
Nature Microbiology
Microbiology (Nature)
Microbiology (bioRxiv: Preprint Server for Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Microorganism (EurekaAlert, American Association for the Advancement of Science)
Microbes and More News (Science Daily)
Microbes (Science News)
Microorganism (Phys.org)
Microorganisms (JSTOR)
Microbiology (JSTOR)
Government
Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
Microbiology Lab (National Science Foundation)
More News …
Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.
- Antibody-guided nanoparticles target blood cancer...on June 10, 2026 at 10:50 pm
New research co-led by Indiana University School of Medicine scientists presents a significant step toward more precise and effective cancer treatments by using a breakthrough method to deliver therapies directly to cancer cells. The study was recently published in ACS Nano.
- Antiviral soil compound disrupts phage infection...on June 10, 2026 at 8:50 pm
Bacteria also produce molecules that have an antiviral effect. Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and Jülich Research Center (FZJ) have examined the antiviral molecule daunorubicin and decoded its mode of operation against viruses in collaboration with colleagues from Marburg and Zurich. They now describe this mechanism, which primarily targets a specific group of viruses—namely bacteriophages—in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
- Antibiotics drive resistance in waterways—even...on June 8, 2026 at 9:00 am
Antibiotics continue to drive resistance in bacteria, even after they are broken down in wastewater treatment plants and discharged into rivers and seas, new research published on World Oceans Day has shown for the first time.
- Previously unknown detoxification pathway for...on June 6, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Chloromethane is a gas that is toxic to humans and contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer. It is produced during the combustion of coal, biomass and other raw materials. Natural sources such as algae, plants and fungi also release it. A research team led by biologist Prof. Julia Kurth from the University of Münster has discovered and characterized a previously unknown enzyme system in anaerobic bacteria of the species Acetobacterium dehalogenans. This system converts the gas into […]
- Green space exposure, mental health and the nasal...on June 6, 2026 at 2:00 pm
Plenty of studies have linked exposure to nature to a wide variety of health benefits, from improved cognitive function to lower blood pressure to better mental health. Other research has found connections between the human microbiome and time spent outside. But an overlooked, understudied player in that connection is the assemblage of microbes found in the nose, or the nasal microbiome.
Microbes and More News -- ScienceDaily Current science articles on microbes and more. Read about viruses, bacteria, fungi and prions and see related videos.
- Octopuses use mirrors to find food they cannot seeon June 5, 2026 at 1:43 pm
Octopuses may be even smarter than we thought. Researchers at Dartmouth found that octopuses can learn to use mirrors to locate food hidden behind them—a skill previously seen only in vertebrates like mammals and birds. After training, the animals correctly identified the food’s location about 73% of the time, showing they could use a mirror as a tool rather than simply reacting to a reflection.
- A hidden pollutant is changing how the world's...on June 2, 2026 at 2:11 pm
A massive global analysis found that nitrogen pollution can either speed up or dramatically slow the natural "breathing" of forest soils, depending on the ecosystem's condition. The results reveal hidden tipping points that could affect how forests store carbon and cope with climate change.
- The ocean's health may depend on a tiny microbe...on May 31, 2026 at 11:52 am
A surprising new discovery suggests that tiny microbes living inside fish may be helping shape the chemistry of the world’s oceans. Scientists found evidence that bacteria in the guts of marine fish work alongside their hosts to produce calcium carbonate, a mineral that plays an important role in ocean health and carbon storage. For years, researchers believed fish handled this process on their own, but the new findings point to a hidden partnership between fish and microbes.
- Scientists say evolution may work differently...on May 29, 2026 at 11:10 am
A major research study is challenging one of evolution’s most influential ideas: that most genetic changes that become permanent are essentially neutral. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that beneficial mutations are actually far more common than scientists have long assumed. The puzzle is that these advantageous mutations rarely spread through entire populations. Their answer? Nature keeps changing the rules.
- Deadly fungus and lung parasites are hammering...on May 26, 2026 at 11:29 am
A sweeping new study of wild snakes in the southeastern US has revealed a hidden health crisis slithering beneath the surface. Researchers found that many snakes are carrying multiple infections at once, with a dangerous fungal disease called ophidiomycosis — or snake fungal disease — emerging as one of the biggest threats. Pygmy rattlesnakes appeared especially vulnerable, frequently infected with both the fungus and a parasitic “snake lungworm.”
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Related
Here are links to pages about closely related subjects.
Sphere Land, Ice, Water (Ocean), Air, Life (Cell, Gene)
Ecosystem Forest, Grassland, Desert, Arctic, Aquatic
Tree of Life
Microorganism Virus
Prokaryote Archaea, Bacteria
Eukaryote Protist, Fungi, Algae, Protozoa (Tardigrade)
Plant Flower, Tree
Animal
Invertebrate
Cnidaria Coral, Jellyfish
Cephalopod Cuttlefish, Octopus
Crustacean Lobster, Shrimp
Arachnid Spider, Scorpion
Insect Ant, Bee, Beetle, Butterfly
Vertebrate
Fish Seahorse, Ray, Shark
Amphibian Frog, Salamander
Reptile Turtle, Tortoise, Dinosaur
Bird Penguin, Ostrich, Owl, Crow, Parrot
Mammal Platypus, Bat, Mouse, Rabbit, Goat, Giraffe, Camel, Horse, Elephant, Mammoth
Walrus, Seal, Polar Bear, Bear, Panda, Cat, Tiger, Lion, Dog, Wolf
Cetacean Whale, Dolphin
Primate Monkey, Chimpanzee, Human
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Notes
1. The resources on this page are are organized by a classification scheme developed exclusively for Cosma.





