03/12/99

Microbes!

Wash your hands! Did you hear me? WASH YOUR HANDS! I'm not a broken record, I'm a mom. After learning about these amazing single-cell creatures that sometimes are our friends, and sometimes cause terrible epidemics, I've only two things to say: wash your hands and then come join today's eye-opening microbe adventure.

Infection Detection Protection

"Microbes are the oldest form of life on Earth. Some types have existed for billions of years. These single-cell organisms are invisible to the eye, but they can be seen with microscopes. Microbes live in the water you drink, the food you eat, and the air you breathe. Right now, billions of microbes are swimming in your belly and crawling on your skin. Don't worry, over 95% of microbes are harmless." This entire exhibit (from the American Museum of Natural History) is fabulous, but the best clicks are the Shockwave games with names like Bacteria in the Cafeteria and Infection!

Look Out for Germs

Written at elementary-school level, this Bristol-Myers Squibb site explains how microbes can make us sick, and how our body fights back. "As powerful as your immune system is, you will probably still get sick from time to time. There are a few reasons why this happens. First, there are some microbes that are so strong, your immune system can't overcome them. And second, your immune system may become weakened and not able to fight off invaders."

Microbes: Invisible Invaders, Amazing Allies

"On one square-inch of our bodies, there are as many as 10,000 bacteria." Everything on this fun, graphically-exciting site from Pfizer squirms. Based on a traveling museum exhibit, the best clicks are Microbe Dictionary ("flagellum: A whip-like structure on some cells that helps them swim."); the incredible colorful photographs in Meet a Microbe; and Microbe Quiz (True or False: "Without microbes there would be no farms to grow food.")

Microbe Zoo

Here's one zoo I'm certain you've never visited before: it's the Microbe Zoo. "Microbial ecology is a rapidly developing scientific discipline. The reasons for this include the realization that microbes are essential for a healthy environment; they are important in helping us understand the mechanics of evolution; and they are important in biotechnology." The zoo is divided into sections that include DirtLand (who knows what evil lurks in that dirt pile? Microbiologists do.), Snack Bar (hmm . . . yummy yogurt), and Space Adventure (microbes on Mars?)

Science in Action: Microbes

Who first discovered microbes? "It turns out to be a Microscopist called Antony van Leeuwenhoek (Born in Delft, Netherlands, 24 October 1632, died 26 August 1723). He had no formal training in science and from the age of sixteen worked as a draper. This seems a bit of an unlikely background for the person who discovered microbes. What's even more interesting is that Antony van Leeuwenhoek's research followed no particular plan and was carried out, largely, with microscopes constructed by himself."

Please send questions or comments to feldman@surfnetkids.com.