Everywhere!
Look in water, soil, air, food and even hot springs.
Where did the fuzz come from?
A tomato or lemon left outside for some time gets a powdery, cotton-like growth. That growth is made of microbes. But nobody put them there.
Where did these microbes come from?
What this lesson covers
The idea
Microorganisms are found everywhere — in water, soil, air, food and inside our bodies, even in hot springs and snow-cold zones — and vary greatly in shape, size and structure.
Where did the fuzz come from?
A tomato or lemon left outside for some time gets a powdery, cotton-like growth. That growth is made of microbes. But nobody put them there.
Where did these microbes come from?
- From the places around: air, water and soil
- The tomato made them from nothing
- They came only from the fridge
Look with a microscope
Tap each place to look at it with a microscope.
Microbes live everywhere
Microorganisms are found everywhere: in water, soil, air, food and inside our bodies. They live even in hot springs and snow-cold zones. They vary greatly in shape, size and structure.
- Place | Example
- Water | Pond water
- Soil | A pinch of soil
- Air | The air around us
- Food | A rotting tomato
- Inside our body | Our gut (intestine)
- Extreme places | Hot water springs and snow-cold zones
Notes
Microorganisms are found everywhere: water, soil, air, food and inside our bodies, even in hot springs and snow-cold zones. They vary greatly in shape, size and structure.
Check yourself
A lemon left outside gets a powdery, cotton-like growth. What does this show?
Where can microorganisms live?
Which statement about microorganisms is true?
- It has been infected by microbes — correct. Yes. Microbes are everywhere, and they grew on the lemon.
- The lemon turned into a plant. Powdery growth is made of microbes, not a plant.
- Microbes are only found in labs. Microbes are found everywhere, even on food left outside.
- Even in hot springs and snow-cold zones — correct. Yes. They live in extreme places and at moderate temperatures too.
- Only in warm, wet places. Some live in hot water springs and some in snow-cold zones.
- They vary greatly in shape, size and structure — correct. Yes. They may be spherical, rod-shaped or irregular, among other shapes.
- All of them look the same. Microorganisms show great variety, just as plants and animals do.