The Absurd Microbe is a place where light-hearted tales of microbes, microbial communities and, especially, microbiomes can be found. Their purpose is to employ humour to flag up interesting topics that may not be on everyone’s radar screens. If the topic of a Yarn triggers a new idea in the reader, The Absurd Microbe is content! If a piece also bring a smile to the faces of hard-working microbiologists and their friends, so much the better.
Whereas the underlying science is (generally) rigorous, the yarns spun around them are figments of our imagination: DO NOT TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY, or you may find yourself suffering from that common affliction of delusional self-important types, namely mental febrility resulting from chronic mixing of, and conflict between, the parallel worlds of fact and fiction.
Take a short well-earned break from competitive research/dedicated teaching/demanding administration, enter the world of The Absurd Microbe, relax and chuckle, and, if you are lucky, become aware of topics, that might be(come) important or relevant to your work, before re-entering the real world and its stresses.
