10 Times Microorganisms Were To Thank For Making Your Instagram Pop
10 Times Microorganisms Were To Thank For Making Your Instagram Pop
By FEMS and Mary Ann R
Microorganisms, aka microbes, are microscopic life forms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeast, algae, plankton... Basically any living thing that is extreeeemely tiny.
The first picture that pops into your head when thinking about microbes might be something along the lines of this…
Image source: https://gph.is/g/aXJjODR
Or this…
Image source: http://gph.is/1UBtXPZ
Or even…
Image source: https://tenor.com/YBi0.gif
But I’m here to change that! Microbes are responsible for some of the world’s most Instagrammable locations and looks:
1. Jervis Bay, Australia
Image source: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_ddUmEFmZy/
The other-worldly, Avatar-esque blue glow of the sea is actually caused by Noctiluca scintillans, a type of marine algae called dinoflagellates - and is not caused by a magical incantation, sorry Disney fans.
2. Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, USA
Image source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDtfeHBs6af/
The stunning rings of colours spreading out from this Instagram hot spot (or Instagram hot spring, should I say, aha..ha) are due to the different bacterial groups present as the extremely hot water changes in temperature.
3. Bay of Fires, Tasmania, Australia
Image source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDHxUOOjAUE/
The striking red rocks which give this bay its name are actually coloured by lichen growing on its surface. Lichen is a composite organism, made up of not one, but TWO types of microbes: fungi and algae. Kerching.
4. Trees… Everywhere
Image source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAjGvv1p1FT/
This red heart-like spot on the bark of a tree is Christmas lichen, Cryptothecia rubrocincta. Think you’ve seen lichen before? That’s because lichen grow almost all over the world, covering an estimated 6% of the Earth’s surface! Plenty of Instagram photo ops with these microbes.
5. Delft, The Netherlands
Image source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDQwcRLjwss/
Sometimes the canals of this quaint Dutch town turn bright green, caused by a carpet of algae growing on the surface. But it's not all fun fairytale vibes - much like the bioluminescent beaches of Jervis Bay, the “bloom” of algae that arises under certain conditions can be harmful for the aquatic life below.
6. Lightning, The Sky
Image source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDtzRL7lPjE/
You know lightning, it comes from the sky. Well it also might come from microbes! In the sky! Wild, right??
7. Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay, Australia
Image source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDk6rktjx7J/
This dramatic shoreline looks like a funky rock formation, but is in fact alive! These are extremely rare living stromatolites, formed by layers of cyanobacteria, and resemble fossilised stromatolites from 1.25 billion (!) years ago.
8. Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Image source: https://www.instagram.com/p/BqOxtccnlEW/
Coral reefs are famous for their beauty and Instagram potential, but did you know that, like us, the reefs are dependent on microorganisms for their survival. Inside the coral skeleton lives a type of algae called zooxanthellae, and when the water temperatures rise due to global warming, the loss of the zooxanthellae microbes causes the corals to lose their colour through coral bleaching.
9. Lake Nakuru, Kenya
Image source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CB0Wis1MFxh/
You might be thinking, “Errr excuse me, I think it's the flamingos that make this Instagram pop, not the microbes”. But what if I told you that flamingos would be a dull grey colour if it weren’t for the microorganisms they eat? The pigment that turns their feathers and skin red - beta carotene, also found in carrots - comes from the algae they consume in huge amounts.
10. Wine, Beer, Cheese, Sourdough… Etc!
Image source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAfC56jpuR3/
Every time you want to show off your recent baking prowess, or pose with a nice glass of wine or cold pint of beer, remember to credit the tiny helpers that make it all possible - the microorganisms! Microbes are not only responsible for once-in-a-lifetime Instagram shots - they’re also to thank for a lot of pretty everyday things we rely on.
Celebrate International Microorganism Day on September 17th 2021 by thanking the microorganisms in your life, for the ordinary and the extraordinary!