Overview: As famously stated by numerous luminaries, including Niels Bohr, the Nobel laureate in Physics and father of the atomic model: “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future!” So what follows is an eclectic mix of topics that, at the moment, would appear to be important for the future. But, as we know for certain, surprises are always around the corner, and one discovery can open a window to a whole new field of discovery and applications that were not previously imagined. Superimposed on this is the changing world, which figures largely in its manifold manifestations in this curriculum of the International Microbiology Literacy Initiative (IMiLI), and which is resulting in increasing financial and political targeted support of particular areas of research, development and innovation that will undoubtedly produce unexpected discoveries. Despite this uncertainty, what is certain is that microbiology will figure largely in the future and underpin many of its new developments. Let’s explore some of the more obvious topics that are likely to be important!
Creation of the TFs is a work in progress: those already available are indicated by titles that are live links. Titles of those still in the pipeline are shown for context.
- Microbiology for a better future
- Artificial intelligence and the future of microbiology
- Synthetic microbiology
- Synthetic cells
- The future of microbiomes in clinical medicine
- Peter Pan: microbiota transplants to slow the process of ageing
- Breaking antimicrobial resistance
- Future of Milk
- Microbially-based life support systems
- Living buildings – Systems architecture