A Microbial Perpective of Life on Earth - Lecture by Roberto Kolter

Abstract: From the origin of life - some three to four billion years ago - to the present, microbial life forms have had great influence in shaping the planet we all call home. As whole-planet issues such as climate change and global health become paramount in our everyday thinking, it is useful to ponder the future of life on Earth from the perspective of the invisible, yet incredibly abundant and diverse microbes. In this lecture I will give an overview of how microbial activities have shaped our planet and describe some recent studies that indicate how microbes may react to the current remarkable planetary changes that are being brought about by human activity.

Bio: Roberto Kolter is former president of the American Society for Microbiology and a professor of microbiology at the Harvard Medical School. Kolter has been at Harvard Medical School since 1983. Kolter's research has discovered communication pathways in biofilms. Among his recent publications are multiple papers dealing with Bacillus subtilis and he has done extensive work on both intra and interspecies communication.

Questions from the audience and closing remarks by professor Dag O. Hessen.
• Coffee and tea will be served prior to the lecture
• Refreshments will be served in Vilhelm Bjerknes hus after the lecture
This lecture is part of the BIO conference 2012.

The lecture is part of the Science Debate project, which is a cooperative venture between the Science Library and the Fritt Ord foundation.