Seven Wonders of the Microbe World
This little documentary is talking about Microbes and why some are good, some are bad and what they have done for mankind.
Microbes have given us some devastating diseases, everything from the Black Death to cholera, syphilis, typhoid and the occasional yeast infection. But our microbial friends have also done us some good.
The video investigates: The origins of beer and brewing in Ancient Egypt, and the role microbes play in the process. Microbial origins of the Black Death. How do microbes destroy the food that we eat and how has humankind sought out different ways of preserving foodstuffs?
How critical microbes are to life on Earth with their role in nitrogen fixation - providing the essential elements that we need to survive. Experts reveal how the natural processes of microbes are used to fight disease.
The ways in which humans are learning to exploit microbes to produce medicines, fuel and food. How the discovery and examination of microbes in meteorites suggests that the planet Mars could have supported life in the same way as Earth.
This was fun and (over) simplified. This thread is more entertaining than the video.
Soon, as some have already said here, we will all know that we basically have representatives of all of these microbes in us at all times. (The film used the estimate of 90% of the cells in our bodies). What everybody still assumes, and what will likely turn out to be a false, dogmatic assumption, is the theory of the "immune system." This theory leads us to believe that there is a constant battle raging inside of us that could kill us at any time if our chicken soup levels get too low. The fact of the matter is is that all of our domestic, symbiotic microbes are activated to compensate function by our brains according to the germ layers they control (the ecto- meso- and endodermal developmental layers, not to be mistaken with what are commonly known as germs) and they carry out specific, biologically useful functions. Bacteria, fungi and viruses, unfortunately always get the blame when one of these special biological programs is misunderstood by the current, mechanistic-reductionist medical establishment and fought like a threat, often leading to more harm than the "disorder" itself. If you are interested in learning more, look into The (Germanic) New Medicine or see the new version of The Psychic Roots of Diseases by Björn Eybl, due to be available by next year.
John Krisfalusci
"yuck... microbes are disgusting. they are the same stuff that's in your bathroom tiles and bathroom floors. So gross, I am always germ free and we don't need all this disease causing stuff!"
This is the most ridiculous comment I have read..Really! was this posted by a grown up or a 5 year old?...LOL!..We all have germs on us, in our bodies, in our homes, in our food, and everywhere else we go we bring them with us no matter how clean we are, and NO, they are NOT disgusting.. For anyone who has ever used a microscope to look at them, they are very beautiful and amazing, each one having its own feeding, reproducing, and motility habits..Did this user who posted that childish comment had any cheese, or yogurt, or has he drank a glass of wine, or beer?...He should thank those "disgusting" microbes for them, and yes, he's also "drinking" and eating them since they're inside these products!
Ugh... I try to read the comments to get reviews of documentaries before I watch them and it's it's just a bunch of arguments... We all know creationists are going to die out in the next generation or two.. so just ignore them and give helpful comments/reviews PLEASE.
Great! now I can see the bias of this website by simply looking at your comment!
Let's not be narrow minded here people, I mean really, if creationist are going to die off in a generation or two, then shouldn't racism be dead by now? The creationist will continue to live on, and I suggest respecting other people's beliefs/opinions before thinking the world will change for the better simply by being ignorant and hateful.
Do you realize a variety of molds can be eaten without becoming ill? I've read a series of your comments and your comments are not based on facts, nor are they anywhere near correct. So you carry hand sanitizer with you everywhere, right? Let's say you carry Purell, one of the leading hand sanitizers, it claims to kill 99.99% of germs...that sounds great right? Well even if it kills 99.99% of the germs on your skin, the average person has an estimated total number of bacteria around 10^12 (1,000,000,000,000), this number is an estimate but is a commonly accepted number among scientists.
So if Purell kills 99.99% of bacteria on your hands then (1,000,000,000,000x.9999=999,900,000,000 bacteria killed). That means that with the leading hand sanitizer being used to 100% efficiency, you will still have 100 million bacteria on your hands after use. Well a lot of these remaining 100 million bacteria are harmless, but there are still many bacteria that could potentially cause a human body harm. Research a little before you make ludicrous statements. I know children that can construct a more compelling argument then you. And before you go on ranting about how much you know more than I do about microbes and science, take into consideration I have a doctorate in Biochemistry, a masters degree in microbiology, and a masters degree in Biophysics. This in reply to John Krisfalusci
I see that you are new to this site. Well, welcome aboard. It's nice to have someone with your specialities responding.
However, if you think John Krisfalusci is ignorant and desire something to pull your hair out over, I suggest you take a gander at the comment section of "Lethal Injection - The Story of Vaccination," in particular, the blogs of Erjewi, the latest concerning the amount of formaldehyde in the tetanus vaccine and whether it constitutes a lethal dose.
00:40 'even though humans were unaware, microbes were being put to work making some of our favorite foods ..."If there were no microbes there would be no beer" If there were no microbes there would be no life! Didnt life evolve life from single, then ever more complex multi-cell organisms with the ability to replicate? That puts the microbial world at the very center of our own existence. Certainly they're involved in digestion and almost all aspects of life from conception to mitosis.
What a truly astonishing thing it is to be alive and not even know what life is/ We know more today than ever before so do not waste this life with fantasies of a 'hereafter.' Life this life with all the beauty love and freedom you are (hopefully, -as many are not) fortunate enough to find within reach.
Most of these comments have no idea how microbial populations work. There are no good or bad bacteria. Most bacteria that are pathogenic (meaning they have a negative effect on our health) can be found in and on us 99% of the time, no matter how clean you are. MRSA? Staphylococcus Aureus is on your skin all the time (maybe not the methicillin resistant type, but the same species). It is known as an opportunistic pathogen. If your immune system is bad It will take that niche and thrive. Psuedomonas Areuginosa is another one, common in those with cystic fibrosis, as it can metabolize mucous, can be found almost anywhere on the planet at any time, and is also responsible for a large number of UTI's as well.
The more antibiotics you take to resist these infections the more you contribute to antibiotic resistance, causing these normally inert bacteria to become pathogenic. I am scared from these comments here.
Very good comment, another thing people tend to forget is that bacteria on your skin may not harm your body on the outside, but if they are ingested they can potentially do great harm to you.
@robertallen1 Vaccination is absolutely necessary. I don't like it because I hate waiting for it and smelling the alcohol before i feel that horrible pain, but it works against flu and other sickness in the future.
You know what? I know that my hand sanitizer protects me because I don't get sick and other poor people without much knowledge who don't know any better suffer. I make sure I stay far away from them and I also eat healthy to prevent diseases ^_^.
Complete nonsense. A hand sanitizer is not going to be much use against the scourges I mentioned in my last response to you. Also, I don't use a hand sanitizer and the worst I get is a cold. As the documentary pointed out, only a small percent of the known microbes are dangerous to humans.
@robertallen1 LOL see? If you would've used hand sanitizer you would NOT have gotten that cold. and guess what? all that small pox and other scourages you mentioned, WHAT DO YOU THINK VACCINATION IS FOR? Sheesh... will you listen to me for once? I haven't been sick in over 3 years because I always wash my hands and use hand sanitizer. TRUST me~ ^_^
I don't trust ignoramuses such as you who make idiotic statements about hand sanitizers as preventatives for everything.
P.S. Is there a vaccine for tuberculosis which, by the way, is immune to hand sanitizers?
Afternoon jk, I was just over the way watching A Brilliant Madness and scrolling through the conversation below it when who should I bump into but you! You might want to go and check your comment, use that higher mathematics you did in school to work out how old you are ;)
The John Nash doc just got a visit from dozens of people, what a great doc that was indeed!
1i
Did you go and look? Made me chuckle when I saw that :)
So the boy is almost 30.,,,that's a big may be though! There is a guy under his name playing some kind of car race on a computer car chair station. You can't see his face but you see him sitting down from the back. It does look clean around.
In a way it does make me feel bad for joking about all this....one never knows what an other lives and why. SO that's it for me, case closed!
1i
I've no problems with his age either way. Was undecided as to whether I should say anything or not, still not sure it was the right thing to do but, If he was a kid playing at being a man he might have had trouble he shouldn't have and if he's a man playing at being a boy its not fair to all he speaks to. They're biting their tongues while he let's his run wild. I don't know, I feel a bit horrid now though... and concerned for him whichever age he is.
@dewflirt...I checked out "a brilliant madness" in that site he is 29 and a nuclear scientist or something for the navy, he is a TROLL!! and I would like to blow him out and "black list" the little bugger!
Haha, you big blue brute! ;)
I don't even know which of him is real, both seem a little odd now but I have no reason to disbelieve either! I wonder who he will decide to be. Maybe he's an electron man! ;)
The guy's a troll??!!?? And I thought that he was virtually real. Some one should do a Billy Goat Gruff and knock him off the bridge.
re: troll
way back in the stone age (when i was a teen in NYC, loooonng before the internet or even bbs's) in the building trades "troll" was a euphimism for those who did roofing and siding. many a foreman told me to "run that tar paper up to the trolls" or similar command. when i see the phrase now, i always get the mental image of those asphaltum encrusted gents that did "hot work". somehow i doubt our friend john would fit such a description though. dont ban the young fellow please. he may be ill-informed and over opinionated, but all 13 year olds are. yes, he is pretty obviously a kid, just look at the "cutesy" anime face punctuation he uses. when i was 13, i knew it all too, most do or did. i honestly wish i was half as smart now as i was then, roflmao. "with age comes the wisdom to recognise how truly unintelligent you are"
No have not banned him...yet. Waiting to see how he will try to get out of the hole he dug for himself.
John...you could try unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar (Spectrum is a good brand as it comes in a glass bottle instead of plastic). It will get rid of bad bacteria and feed the good ones (so they fight the bad ones).
Put it in a spray bottle (glass if you can find one), you can spray your feet, hands, even your face (don't spray, apply) to get rid of aging spot (not that i think you have them yet), it works great on cradle cap on babies too (apply small quantity and brush the scalp gently with a tooth brush). It is gentle and smells great. Many people drink a cap every morning...does good on the inside too.
Also plain yogurt and sauerkraut.
It is a miracle ingredients from the old days and beats chemical sanitizers.
1i
I have a feeling that John doesn't believe there is such a thing as a good germ. Feeding what you call the good ones would absolutely horrify him. In his mind the only good germ is a dead germ. I love plain yogurt and like to add fresh fruit. As for sauerkraut...yummy. I'm afraid that the microbes in these foods might not be to his liking.
Look it up if you want but as far as the percentage killed goes bar soap is as effective as hand "sanitizer" is. However sanitizer does get the job done faster. It doesn't really matter though. Why? Every square inch of our bodies contains pores. If you think bacteria that is on the surface stays there then know this. THEY DO NOT! They do the same as skin mites do. They take up residence in our pores and hair folicles. You simply can not rid yourself of 100% of them. Did you know that EVERYONE has at least 5-7 pounds of germs (bacteria, virus, etc.) Living on and in their bodies? The vast majority are harmless or even beneficial to us. Less than 1% of bacteria cause disease. It's viruses you need to worry about more. Almost all cause disease. Believe it or not when an infant is exposed to harmful bacteria it strengthens their immune system.
This is the most bizarre documentary I've ever watched...
Since I wasn't able to access the audio I turned on the closed caption service... It was hilarious to read...
It made NO sense and must have been written by a NON English speaking person... When a documentary of this caliber is produced one expect to have the CC accurate with the narrator's spoken words...
I would have liked to know more about these microbes for they are important to the health of my patients, but I couldn't recommend this documentary to them as a reference...
Please review this product and provide a proper transcript... Lizica
Had to check out the subtitles, fantastically funny and utterly useless :)
Interesting, a bit yucky at parts but, interesting none the least. I can't eat blue cheese because I know what it is, I can't eat guacamole because i don't know what it is- (LOL) that and it has the word "mole" in it- which conjures up immediate yet not particualry stimulating imagery. My dad just recovered from a microbial infection in his intestines, boy doesn't that paint a pretty picture, called h-palori. Most doctors say it is a fairly common bug, not particularly prone to causing serious illness. What they fail to mention is that if it every does get the upper hand, especially in older patients, it is unbeleivably tenacious and can cause serious damage to the intestine and stomach lining. It took us three months to get my dad who is eighty two over it- he lost about forty pounds and has developed a stomach ulcer. They say about eighty percent of the population has this microbe in their gut but their immune system keeps it in check. My advice is, if you have an older family member not in the best of health, have him or her tested, its a very simple test, and if they have it get rid of it before it gets out of hand. All they have to do is breathe in a bag and drink some kind of liquid then breathe in the bag again- thats the test. If you catch it early its not that big of deal to get rid of, if you dont it can lead to serious problems. My dad went from being one of the healthiest old men I had ever known, able to do the work of a sixty year old at eighty, to not being able to drive himself- overnight almost.
I hear that 'Spam' has actually revealed some entirely new compounds found ONLY in that concoction they call meat :P
I hate those antimicrobial soaps these days, there are many good microbes on your skin and they block a good deal of the bad microbes.
@John, I am pretty much a polar opposite to you. If it wasn't frozen here for at least 6 months of the year I would be outside playing in the dirt. I haven't come down with anything more than the sniffles in forever despite not getting my vaccinations and I frequently forget to wash my hands before eating :P
So it goes to show that there's always 2 sides. I say you should at least keep up on your vaccines to keep your immune system up to par just in case something catches up to you, without them it could mean a rough trip. You may not like them, but they love you !
@PaulGloor well guess what? You are going to be infected with something by playing in the dirt and all that filth. That is why you get the sniffles and I feel sorry for you because you are risking your immune system. Even though you get vaccinations it doesn't mean you are immune 100%, you are just asking for a sickness and your body will suffer. Not me ^^ I always stay away from dirt and mud and I never touch grass or public swimming pools or humid rooms full of smelly people.
"Not me ^^ I always stay away from dirt and mud and I never touch grass or public swimming pools or humid rooms full of smelly people."
I wonder if you may have been raised in a predominantly female home? Single mother, sisters but no brothers- type thing, maybe? Did your mom take you to the doctor a lot, I bet she did- didn't she? Always after you to wash those hands, right? Ever seen the movie Psycho, dude? If you start getting the distinct urge to wear a wigg while sharpening your butcher knife- seek immediate medical attention !! Seriousely though man, get some help- there is no shame in it and it may save lives.
(edit) Hey man, i just found out you are just a kid. I shouldn't have said those things to you, I thought you were an adult. It was really just a bit of joshing but still-saying that kind fo stuff to a thick skinned sophisticated adult is one thing but saying it to a thirteen year old who probably does live at home with his or her parents is a whole other- my bad. I hope i didn't hit on anything real- sorry man.
@wald0 whether I live with other people or wherever or however is NONE of your business. I know my parents are very smart and I got their smart genes and proud of it! Whenever someone comes to our house they always mention how clean and neat and nice smelling it is, I'm PROUD of it! We all know how to prevent diseases and filthy houses are germ lairs just waiting to infect someone. ^_^
In fact, I don't even bother going to other peoples houses you know why? Because first of all, the inside houses always smell funny, and second, I know my place is ALWAYS cleaner than theirs. I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything but it's the truth! And I got sick one time doing that, so I know I probably wont do it again hehe.
So in other words you go nowhere. I wonder how you do your shopping--I mean you never know what you can pick up in a supermarket--or do your smart parents do it for you?
@John Krisfalusci,
Kid, I wonder from which planet did you pop in. It seems you're way younger than 13. Despite the fact that several people explained and gave you some links from where you can educate yourself you continue with your childish play.
If you don't want to listen to people, you might want to search the internet by yourself or visit your nearest library to expand your views on this matter a little bit. Or even better, ask your teachers what they think.
Nobody is denying basic preventive hygiene. It will protect you from the common intruders. You just can't protect yourself 100%. Maintaining Bacillophobia and Hypochondria will not help you much.
What about school? The desk you sit at? The books you read? The chalk, the door handle, the cafeteria chairs, the locker, the ball you throw at gym.......
John how can you never go to other people's house? what about your grand ma, cousins, best friends? What about the bench in church, the cart at the grocery store, the chairs in the bus?
Do you only always stay home?
1i
Hate to say it John, but they do have a word for folks like yourself... Germophobic. I commend your drive toward clenliness and cheer to your health. In my line of work, theres no room for such discression so i throw caution to the wind and set about my tasks and enjoy what i do for the most part. I am proud to say I have a powerful immune system for that very reason. By exposing myself to the hordes of microbes and bacteria, I allow my immune system to encounter and adapt.
This documentary is just fun. It is easy going and shallow. It must be oriented for kids. And a big propaganda on GMO or as they say Biotech. It isn't very educating. At last minutes sci-fy :D Big propaganda :D
yuck... microbes are disgusting. they are the same stuff that's in your bathroom tiles and bathroom floors. So gross, I am always germ free and we don't need all this disease causing stuff!
u should not use your immune system 2, live sterile, after some time youll come along to some flue virus and die.
@fondindelhofas I know I am healthy and you know what? You are a jerk for asking someone to die. I haven't been sick in 3 years and it's because I have no germs and make sure any disgusting filth is far away from me jerk!!
Nobody asked anybody to die, quit calling people jerks, do not know why anybody is even talking to a 13-16 year old.
@Achems_Razor Stop trolling me, you had your chance to defend yourself during that Marijuana mumbo jumbo debate and you failed miserably to me. I wouldn't even be talking if I were U! Again, age doesn't matter when you're right! You hear me?!
wait til you find out about the insect/arachnid life that actually live on every square inch of your body.... my guess is you'll start bathing in miticide daily, roflmao. dust mites, hair mites, little bugs that eat your dead skin cells, you are basically covered in a seething morass of critters, bacterium, and other microscopic lifeforms. we all are. it doesnt mean we should gobble e. coli or that bubonic plague is your friend, but trying to eliminate all exposure to "microbes" is a fool's errand. your digestion relies on bacteria. exposure to some diseases actually make you immune to much worse ones. in short, dont drive yourself nuts trying to eliminate what is inevitable, and actually healthy in many cases.
@Harry You're disgusting, only dirty people and maybe hairy people have those weird bugs on their body. All you need to do is soap very well when you shower and shower daily and I dont have ANY of those nasty stuff. Don't even try to spread bad information because just imagining something like that is really gross and I didnt even bother reading the rest of ur weird rant because I know how clean I am and its just not true! Have a nice life! ^^
No matter how well you soap, it's not going to prevent any of the scourges I've mentioned from entering your body.
And no, Harry is not spreading bad information; you are.
honestly john, do you think soap is going to wash away an insect that you need a 200x microscope to even see? if so, you need to do some studying on surface tension, wetting properties of various liquids, and the actual microscopic topography of human skin and hair. those little critters infest us all. many are actually beneficial. believe it or dont, but right this instant, there are tens of thousands, if not millions of tiny little mites munching away on your body. go ask your biology teacher. go look in an encyclopedia. do a web search. but i would suggest you dont run out and buy the various poisons sold for lice and such. they are neurotoxins that will harm you with continuous exposure, and actually wont kill off those microscopic munchers to any appreciable degree. enjoy your infestation!! lol
Actually age does matter 13 year old child, when you are talking to us grownups. Why don't you ask your teachers why there are 10 times more bacteria then cells in and on the human body, make sure you do not rub your eyes, might hurt the little critters that live in the eye-lashes.
Don't forget your gods made all the bacteria, germs and all the little crawly things that you are so scared of.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_microbiome
If you had no germs, you would be dead, not healthy. Once again, you don't know what you're talking about.
@robertallen1 You're wrong because I always carry with me hand sanitizer everywhere I go and I always use it no matter what. And because of this I NEVER get sick. Before when I didn't know any better I got sick all the time and now I know germs are bad. Even on the news it says theres disgusting green black mold and germs growing in filthy factories and labs where they made everyone sick from that steroid medicine. They should've sanitized everything!! I know cleanliness ^_^
You don't know cleanliness or for that matter microbiology. As so many posters who are obviously better educated than you have tried to inform you, you cannot live without germs and not all germs are pernicious.
Your little hand sanitizers are not going to prevent you from contracting some particularly fearsome and contagious scourge such as tuberculosis, diptheria, small pox, measles, flu, etc. which might even be communicated through them.
In short, you don't know what you're talking about.
I wonder how you feel about vaccination.
Sorry John. There's no escaping them. They are everywhere. No such thing as germ free. As a matter of fact, if you were germ free you would be dead in no time. You can't live without them. They are like people. Some are great and helpful and you surround yourself with those and others you can't trust for a second.
I don't think so, I wash my hands every time I feel like they are grody, and I never touch the ground or other disgusting places, and I always take a shower right before I go to bed, and my place is always clean. I always dust and vacuum and I know I'm clean.
You don't know what you're talking about. Why don't you read up on the subject as Jack1952 has done BEFORE posting?
What are you talking about? We always have trllions of bacteria & germs all over/within us! Without them, we'd all be dead.
There is 10^12 enteric microbes inside you at any moment making digestion possible.
love beer and cheese small fellows, not so much black death for some reason
little buggers...you gotta hate to love 'em & love to hate 'em.