The MicroStars Gallery

Microbes, like us, mostly live in complex, diverse communities and work together to get their jobs done. And like us, different microbes have different talents which predestines them to carry out particular tasks. And, again, like us, a few of them become famous, either because they are especially talented, or because microbiologists discovered them first and have studied them a lot. These famous ones receive a lot of attention – they are the microbial world superstar equivalents of our rock/football/social media influencer stars. But, even if some of them have friends and relatives that are just as talented, we can still learn a lot from them. So here for your personal viewing are portraits of some of the microbial superstars in all their glory.

Bacteria (Chef: Pierre Offre, sous-chef Ken Timmis)

Bif (Bifidobacterium) - Claim to fame: steering immune system development, probiotics

Caulo (Caulobacter crescentus) - Claim to fame: nature’s strongest glue

Knacki (Pseudomonas knackmussii B13) - Claim to fame: first microbe found to degrade chloroaromatic compounds

Myplas (mycoplasmas) - Claim to fame: the smallest free-living organisms (Eng., Fre., Spa., Cat)

Shewa (Shewanella putrefaciens) - Claim to fame: Drives the iron cycle in the deep subsurface

Spiru (Arthrospira platensis & cousin A. maxima a.k.a Spirulina) - Claim to fame: Nature’s perfect superfood

Taqus (Thermus aquaticus) - Claim to fame: grows at high temperatures and revolutionized biology

Vifi (Vibrio fischeri) - Claim to fame: champion colonist of the Hawaiian bobtail squid light organ

Microalgae

Dusa (Dunaliella salina) - Claim to fame: the most salt-tolerant alga described

Phaetri (Phaeodactylum tricornutum) - Claim to fame: a solar-powered cell factory

Torch (Cyanidioschyzon sp. isolate 5508) - Claim to fame: Torch burns off poisonous arsenic present in water