Our health depends on the functioning of microbes in and on our bodies, but we still typically think of microbes as dangerous. Likewise, the health of animals and plants depends on the microbes they live with. Microbes in the environment are crucial for the ‘health’ of our planet. If we can understand how to support and harness functional microbes we can improve both our health and the planet’s as well.

The National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Microbiomes focuses on better understanding the complexity and function of microbes in all their habitats and hosts. The researchers involved are developing ways to diagnose, intervene and restore malfunctioning microbiomes.

Better microbiome understanding, diagnosis and interventions can lead to alternatives for antimicrobial therapies in infections, less utilization of agrochemicals, and improved or restored soil health. Moreover, once we understand these systems we can engineer microbiomes to address societal issues such as waste management or chemical production.

This Science Café will discuss why microbes are so important, how they function and how they interact with their environment.

Speakers

• Prof. Jan R. van der Meer, Head of Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Director of NCCR Microbiomes
• Prof. Emma Slack, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich
• Prof. Wolf-Dietrich Hardt, Institute of Microbiology, Department of Biology, ETH Zurich