An Ode to Microsymbionts
This article was written by a guest contributor, Harry Tibbetts. Read about Harry here.
This year, microorganisms are probably not high on anyone’s list of things to be thankful for. Still in the midst of the first pandemic in a century, ‘germs’ are keeping many of us from joining friends and extended family around the table this holiday season. Despite a personal proclivity for bacterial communities, I found myself wishing I could control my exposure to this invisible world, until several weeks ago when I read One Man’s Trash by Oksana Bihun. Her loving description of the tireless work done by the teams of microsymbionts that make up the living element of compost got me thinking about gratitude. Feeling gratitude isn’t always the same as being thankful. You might be thankful to receive a promotion or award, but gratitude is most powerful when things aren't going so well. It serves to draw our mental energies from that which has got us feeling sorry for ourselves to that which quietly enriches our lives everyday. This year, I’m grateful for the legions of microorganisms, past and present, that have made our holiday season—and society—possible.
There are those who might think I’m overstating things, that there isn’t a germ in their house they wouldn’t cleanse away, and certainly none they would allow in their food! Their perspective would be nothing new. Thanks to germ theory we have spent the last two centuries trying to sterilize away the foundational role microbes play in our food system. The thriving communities of symbiotes that made bread, butter and yogurt possible have been reduced to enzymes and monocultures of dry yeast. Despite this, our kitchens are still surrounded by their influence. Especially around the winter holidays when fresh produce has traditionally been scarce, fermented foods abound. If, like me, you live somewhere that typically enjoys a snowy holiday season, you can bet there would be no human settlements there if not for the preserving power of microbial symbionts. The mulled cider or wine in your glass, the delicious spreads like chutneys and sauerkraut at your table, even the holiday sourdough stollen or panettone you bake or buy fresh, all exist thanks to these microsymbiont. Even if you’re like my family and go out for Asian-fusion on Christmas Eve, you won't escape the grasp of fermented favorites like sushi and kimchi. Still, all these gifts pale when compared to that microbial blessing we cannot live without, ourselves.
Let me explain. The microsymbionts I have referenced here are communities of bacteria and fungi that we actively promote and stimulate in exchange for the goods and services they can offer. Most macroscopic life lives with some form of relationship like this. From the tiny leaf cutter ants farming colonies of their favorite fungal treat to ruminant herbivores like cows processing tough vegetation with the help of multiple stage anaerobic methanogenic bacteria in their multiple stomachs. For humans, however, many of the symbionts we used to rely on have steadily been replaced by abiotic chemical processes. Unless you make it yourself, almost every example of food I have given so far is sterile when you take it off the shelves. Thankfully, the FDA doesn’t need to approve our bodies. Even by conservative estimates, excluding viral cells, microbes in our bodies outnumber human cells. This mind blowing fact challenges the very notion of a self, and has led some to contemplate whether we should still be called human at all. The human microbiome is a hot research topic right now and there are great books on the subject; for now, let me just point out that the microbiome has been linked to deadly diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease, but not in the way you would think. We have been finding that those who are unable to get diverse exposure to microbes in their environment (including food) are suffering disproportionately from these conditions. In one study, bacteria on the skin actively worked to fight cancer. That’s right, that's germs protecting us from ourselves! This year, do yourself a favor and bring back some of those OG symbionts, bake a sourdough, brew some cider, pack some kraut, or maybe just subscribe to this channel (It’s Alive!) and you’ll be on your way.
When the celebrations have ended, and we sleep in our beds, mites happily munching away to clean our skin of all lingering debris, around the world the next generation of microsymbiotes won’t be resting either. They will be busy helping us to solve our toughest challenges. Metabolising our plastic waste, reclaiming nutrients to close the loop and create a circular agriculture system and even combating climate change.
