Designer Jelte van Abbema was a winner at the Dutch Design Awards and the accompanying €10,000 Rado Prize in part due to his piece “Symbiosis,” a font created with e.coli bacteria. One could say this could be a nasty computer virus!

Van Abbema created the font by stamping bacteria into paper, and then placing the paper in a jury-rigged incubator, which provided the right humdity and warmth for the organisms. As they multiplied and died, the resulting fonts changed color and shape. As van Abbema says, bacteria “transforms the image to something new,” creating something that is literally alive, changing every minute without ever being tended.

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Researchers in San Diego, California, have made some wonderful discoveries about a Bacteria originally found off the coast of the Bahamas. Found in the mud, this wonderful bacteria has been named Salinispora tropica. The genome of the bacteria holds promising information about producing molecules for antibiotics and anticancer agents.

A rich biodiversity on the planet creates the potential for exceptional organisms like this bacteria. If we do not provide enough room and resources for nature to continue, then humanity will lose the chance to heal the wounded through the promising medical research done on organisms.

It is very encouraging to see that Nature still has so much to offer humanity. Having a good reason to do something is usually the best incentive. If we continue to preserve all the organisms on the planet, we can expect to have more amazing discoveries that hold the potential to heal people. There are still thousands of unknown organisms just waiting for the right microscope to discover them.