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150 Years American Museum of Natural History

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Microbiology

What is Microbiology?

Microbiology is the study of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes that are invisible to the eye. These tiny creatures are everywhere, even on you and in you! Don't worry, most microbes are harmless to humans.

Images of Microbes, mushrooms, an elephant, coral and a ladybug next to a portrait of Melanie Stiassny, a marine biologist.

Test your knowledge about the major groups of life on Earth.

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Microbiologist Susan Perkins answers kids’ questions about microbes.

Play this game to find out more about the microbes that help and hurt us.

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Who will be the first to diversify their gut microbiome and win?

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How can the influenza virus travel around the world? Find out in this quizzy story!

Aerial view of an island shaped like a human head in Minecraft.

Defend against bad microbes while protecting the good ones in this Minecraft map of the human body.

Get some mud and a few other ingredients to build an entire ecosystem for bacteria.

Why does this scientist love studying tiny living things called microbes?

See if you can find the hidden microbes on each coloring page!

Closeup of Sally Warring peering into a handheld microscope

In these videos, a biologist introduces us to the microbes that live all around us.

Explore this family tree of living things on Earth.

Test your knowledge about the bacteria and other microbes that live on and in us.

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