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Ask Dr. Universe microbes
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What is the most poisonous thing in the world? – Macmillan, 16, India

Dear Macmillan,

There are some amazing deadly things out there. Like a frog that oozes poison from its skin. Or a jellyfish that uses itty bitty hooks to inject venom into its prey.

But it turns out the most poisonous thing on Earth is everywhere. It’s in our soil. It’s in our water. It might be in your kitchen.

It’s a species of bacteria called Clostridium botulinum.

I talked about it with my friend Susie Craig. She studies food safety at Washington State University.

She told me that C. botulinum makes the toxin that causes botulism. People can get it by eating … » More …

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Why do we have germs on our hands? – Prince, 12, Georgia

Dear Prince,

Germs are tiny organisms—also called microbes. They’re so small you have to zoom in with a microscope to see them. They can be bacteria, viruses, fungi or other teeny things. Some microbes make us sick. Some don’t bother us at all. Some help us out.

I talked about all that with my friend Eric Lofgren. He studies infectious disease at Washington State University.

He said there are two main reasons we have germs on our skin. We pick up some microbes from the environment. Some live on our skin all the time.

“The world is full of microbes,” Lofgren said. “They’re very … » More …

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What are microorganisms? –Trystan, 11, North Carolina

Dear Trystan,

One of my favorite things to do is look at pond water with a microscope. I love to see all the teeny tiny critters zooming around in a single drop.

I talked about microorganisms, also called microbes, with my friend Claire Burbick. She’s a microbiologist at Washington State University. She told me the key trait for microbes is size. Microbes are micro—which means extremely small.

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How does honey last forever? Gillian, 7, Illinois

Dear Gillian,

Archaeologists exploring ancient Egyptian tombs sometimes find honey. It’s thousands of years old, but you could still safely spread it on your toast!

I talked to my friend Brandon Hopkins, professor in the WSU department of entomology, about why honey lasts so long. He told me honey is one of the only foods that never spoils.

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Dr. Universe: Why do we get morning breath? -Stephanie, 10

Dear Stephanie, If you’ve ever caught a whiff of someone’s stinky morning breath, or even your own, you know it can be pretty rotten. We can trace the smell back to tiny culprits that live in our mouths. They are called microbes and they live around your gums, between your teeth, and on your tongue. Read More ...

Can you grow stuff like thread, cloth, silk, and most importantly, clothing? -Jay, Colorado

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Dear Jay,

We can use all kinds of animal, bug, and plant materials to make cloth. Even some of the tiniest living things on the planet can make cloth, too.

I heard about this from my friend Hang Liu, a Washington State University professor who studies the science of materials we use and wear every day.

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