Micro•bi•al \mī-‘krō-bē-әl\ adj. 1: of, involving, caused by, or regarding microorganisms; 2: by means of or in relation to microorganisms.
Mo•dus \’mō-dәs\ n. 1: method, procedure, or process for achieving an end; 2: orderly arrangement. Syn: mode, manner, way, fashion, system. (The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 1997)
Over 3,300 soil, crop, and agronomy scientists and professionals gathered last week in Pittsburg, PA, for the largest annual exchange of intellectual capital in these disciplines each year in the U.S. Several major publishing companies, a multitude of analytical supplies companies and land-grant universities from around the world were in attendance of this year’s ASA-CSSA-SSSA meeting. Free mints, pens, pencils, fridge magnets, and tiny plush koalas flowed freely from the exhibition booths while the latest research in soil builders and crop genetics was exchanged in 15 minute sound-bytes. Climate change was at the tip of everyone’s tongues; science is fully engaged in attempts to not only understand the current changes but to successfully and accurately predict the complex web of impacts on everything from invasive species spread to glacial retreat and nitrogen deposition.
This is the 6th year I’ve participated in the this conference and while there have been some major changes in the technologies shared, knowledge exchanged, and the age and gender distribution of the attendees, the general look and feel is the same. We’ve been taking “global warming” for granted. The scientific community, to which I consider myself an active member, has long forgone the question “Is this really happening?” and replaced it with, “How the hell are we all going to survive it?”
At one point, I struggled to squeeze into a room where the next speaker was preparing to discuss the newest techniques in predicting long-term impacts and unexpected consequences of a shift in the global weather patterns on soil microbes. The speaker rooms comfortably hold about one hundred people, but this talk was standing-room-only. I had to stand on my tip-toes to see over the guy in front of me, and I had to wonder… All of us “scientists” are enthralled by this stuff, but what about people I care about most? What about all those folks out there from diverse educational backgrounds that might find these topics useful, helpful, and possibly even, entertaining?
I decided at that point to begin this blog. My perspective is, in short, that microbes rule the world. They have and will for a VERY long time. What makes this important right now is that we humans are facing wide variety of environmental problems, from widespread contamination of soils and waterways, to global climate change, and even world hunger. But, we have only begun to see the tip of the iceberg in terms of microbial diversity and there are endless possible solutions still to be found in the microbial world. So, “Microbial Modus” was born…
