Microbes are 'unknown unknowns' despite being vital to all life, says study | Microbiology
âWe have no idea whether global microbial diversity is increasing, decreasing, or staying the same,â said David Thaler, a biologist at Basel University and author of the paper. âMost scientific papers tell us new facts. This is a different kind of paper; it does not answer anything but asks a new question.â Many plant and animal populations are rapidly decreasing, with about 1 million species at risk of extinction, according to a 2019 UN-backed report. Plants and animals are counted over time to monitor how their populations change. Microbes are often found in extreme envi...