1.Dear friends, do you think we could have enjoyed  yummy and tasty bread sandwiches and toasts in our breakfast with out these tiny little friends called yeast .These yeast cells have the capacity to convert sugar into carbon dioxide gas. The gas helps the bread to become fluffy and soft for us to eat. Yeast is also are used in the manufacture of beer and wine.

2. Lactic acid bacteria are used to make yogurt, cheese, sour cream, buttermilk and other fermented milk products. We can enjoy the nutritious yoghurt and cheese in our food due to these friendly bacteria. So next time when we have our cheese let’s thank these tiny friends of ours.

3. Microbes also play a very significant role in food production and biotechnological processes. Microbes are used in the production of fermented foods.

4. Biodegradation of organic waste on earth is possible only due to these organisms of the microbial world .They convert them into different forms of carbon which could be easily used by other organisms.

5. Microbes replenish our soil nitrogen by fixing atmospheric nitrogen and converting into ammonia. This is used by plants and animals. These are called nitrogen fixing bacteria present in the soil and in aquatic habitats.

6. Isn’t it surprising to note that microbes existed on this earth a billion years before plants evolved and were the only producers of oxygen, the secret of life, on earth!

7. They are present even in the bodies of higher organisms play a great role in the physiological processes in their body. For example :the bacteria and other microbes present in the intestines of cow and other grass eating animals and even in some insects help in digestion .

8. The friendly association of leguminous plants like beans and peas with the nitrogen fixing bacteria is a very interesting thing to notice. While they fix the nitrogen for the plant the plant supplies the required carbon and energy for the microbial growth.

9. Microbes play a heroic role in the medical field though they are blamed for causing many of the diseases. Humans forget the great role played

11. Antibiotics, used by us in the treatment of infectious diseases, are substances produced by microorganisms. Antibiotics are produced in nature by molds such as Penicillium and bacteria such as Streptomycin and Bacillus.

12. Microbes are also the source of vaccines used for immunization against diseases. Though we may blame them for the cause; they are the solution for the problem as well.

DPT vaccine given to all of us during our child hood is derived from micro organisms. Toxoid, is used to immunize against diphtheria, Bordetella pertussis cells are used to vaccinate against pertussis (whooping cough). Deadly diseases like  smallpox, polio, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough etc have been  eliminated   in most parts of the  world due to these vaccines

Let’s just imagine a world without these vaccines for those deadly diseases. Isn’It it miserable to think of?Yes,it’s the microbial friends who made our lives  comfortable

.15.Bio control of pests an weeds is the best way to get rid of them without any side effects. Microbes make this possible.

16. Pollution in our environment can be best handled with a process called bioremediation in which microbes are used .

17. Bio technology ,the modern branch of science is totally dependent on microbial organisms for research.

 

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         Credits :      The  content on this page is prepared by  Arun of our team and is the  original work
                           prepared for the thinkquest competition 2009