Antony van Leeuwenhoek and the Microscope

But don’t worry. Nearly 95 percent of all microbes are harmless. Some of the other 5 percent can make you sick, so remember to wash your hands often. Without these invisible companions, life as we know it would not exist. Animals, including humans, could not digest their food. Plants would not grow, and garbage would not decay. The planet would be a mess! Luckily, microbes won’t disappear from Earth any time soon. These hardy creatures have existed for more than 3.5 billion years. They are the smallest and most diverse life-form known. In terms of numbers, microbes rule!