Small and Mighty: Introduction to Microbiology

Discover the fascinating world of microbes

Microbes may be invisible to the eye, but they dominate every environment on Earth – including you. Microbes are often associated with disease yet the majority of species help to keep us alive. How can you distinguish the good from the bad?

On this course, you’ll explore a general introduction to the field of microbiology and investigate the amazing diversity of microbial life. Learn about the significant roles microbes play in health, food, and the environment through expert interviews, lab demonstrations and practical experiments you can try at home.

This course is for anyone interested in microbiology. There should be something for everyone – whether you are coming to the course with a fair amount of previous knowledge, or none at all. There will be plenty of help available for those who are completely new to the subject. The course will be of particular interest to those who are studying biology at school or considering applying to a microbiology degree.

This course is for anyone interested in microbiology. There should be something for everyone – whether you are coming to the course with a fair amount of previous knowledge, or none at all. There will be plenty of help available for those who are completely new to the subject. The course will be of particular interest to those who are studying biology at school or considering applying to a microbiology degree.

• Describe the key differences between the five groups of microbe.
• Explain how microbes replicate and why environmental conditions affect where they live.
• Differentiate between beneficial and harmful effects of microbes.
• Discuss ways that microbiology research has, and will continue to, benefit human health, food production and the environment.
• Explain how microbes evolve and discuss the potential implications of this on the future health of the population and our planet.
• Conduct simple microbiology experiments and analyse the results in order to draw conclusions.