Microbes make the world go 'round. In regenerative agriculture, we rely on microbes to supply our crops to with the nutrients they need to flourish. On a larger scale, microbes play the role of the Earth's immune system, springing into action when disasters such as petroleum spills assault her waters. Today we talk about the magic of microbes in the soil, oceans, and human body. Dr. Patricia Tavormina is a research scientist who's worked on the Human Genome Project at the University of California, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill at Caltech, and a dozen things in between. She's an occasional educator at local community colleges and a passionate advocate for greater science communication. When there's not a global pandemic underway, you can catch her doing outreach at Earth Day events, K-8 classrooms, and library lecture series.
In this episode…
How environmental microbes act as the planet's immune system, supporting the Gaia theory that the Earth is intelligent
Patricia's work at petroleum spill sites
The human microbiome
Symbiants in the body and in the soil
Metaorganisms
The Porter Ranch gas leak near Los Angeles, California
Speculations on our ecological future
Aerovoyant: The Industrial Age, Volume One by Patricia Tavormina
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Patricia on Twitter: @pltavormina
Giuliana Viglione: What did we learn from the Deepwater Horizon disaster?
Ram Swaroop Meena et al: Impact of Agrochemicals on Soil Microbiota and Management: A Review
