• Introduces the field of microbiology and its importance within the life sciences

• Describes the modern understanding of the vast range of microorganisms and their habitats

• Looks at the critical role of microbes in ecosystems, including the human body

• Explores the many important applications of microbiology in medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology

• Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series - over six million copies sold worldwide

In recent decades we have come to realize that the microbial world is hugely diverse, and can be found in the most extreme environments. Fungi, single-celled protists, bacteria, archaea, and the vast array of viruses and sub-viral particles far outnumber plants and animals. Microbes, we now know, play a critical role in ecosystems, in the chemistry of atmosphere and oceans, and within our bodies. The field of microbiology, armed with new techniques from molecular biology, is now one of the most vibrant in the life sciences.