10: The unknown world of microbiomes: from the environment to humans

Microbes are essential for the health of all ecosystems, plants, animals, and humans, but until recently most of these tiny organisms could neither be identified nor characterized. The biodiversity of microbes by far exceeds those of all other organisms on Earth and there are as many microbial than human cells in a human body. For the first time in history, molecular tools enable researchers to investigate the structure and function of entire microbial communities in their habitats (the microbiome). These game-changing technological developments revealed the crucial role microbiomes plays for human health and disease, for the protection of our environment and for economy.
This seminar will provide an easy-to-understand introduction into microbiomes. We will observe microbes microscopically and will provide an overview on the human microbiome and its relations to diet, life style, and many different kinds of disease ranging from inflammatory bowel diseases, to cancer, and psychological disorders. We will also address the emerging antibiotic resistance of pathogenic microbes – considered as one of the most dangerous health threats for humans – and will discuss how each person can contribute to fight this problem. Finally, highly debated technologies, which do transform science currently, as genetic modification using CRISPR-Cas or synthetic biology, will be introduced and jointly discussed.