by Eryn Blass figures by Michael Gerhardt Microbes are everywhere – in our environment, on our skin, and even within our bodies. Microbes, short for microorganisms, are living things so tiny that they can only be seen with a microscope. Microbes consist of bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoans, and viruses (Figure 1). The communities that they form are called microbiomes. The mere thought of these microscopic … Continue reading The National Microbiome Initiative: fueling the discovery of the microscopic world around us