Environmental Science and Engineering Seminar

Over billions of years of Earth's history, microbes have evolved tremendous genetic diversity. Bacteria, fungi, archaea, and viruses live in nearly every habitat on the planet, forming communities called microbiomes. With their stunning diversity of lifestyles, microbiomes could help blunt the impact of climate change and other wicked environmental problems. Microbiomes regulate planetary element cycles, making them prime candidates for sequestering carbon, particularly in agricultural soils. Because many microbes form partnerships with plants, microbiomes can be tapped to boost crop yield and promote food security in a changing climate. More and more, microbiomes are being harnessed for habitat restoration, bioremediation, and bioenergy production. A new era of microbiome research offers promise to tackle climate change while providing crucial benefits for society such as improved public and environmental health. Fulfilling this promise will require a commitment to collaboration among microbiome scientists, decision makers, and communities of people across multiple sectors.