Leaders in the U.S. government have made a decision: It’s time to take a closer look at the tiny creatures we call microbes. Microbes are so small they can be seen only through microscopes. They are full of mysteries. Solving those mysteries could benefit people and the planet. A new program called the National Microbiome Initiative will gather scientists together. Those scientists will look at microbes living everywhere—and we mean everywhere!

Microbes live in boiling hot springs. They live in frozen fields. They live in your compost and in your couch. They even live in you. They cover your skin. They fill your body. No matter where you put your fingers, you’re likely to touch one—or maybe a million of them!

We do know a few things about microbes already. We know that when you take an antibiotic, it kills microbes in your gut. Eventually, your gut resettles into a new normal. We know that an oil spill in 2010 changed the microbes in the Gulf of Mexico. Eventually, the microbes in the Gulf settled into a new normal too. But is the gut better off after an antibiotic? Is the microbe environment of the Gulf better after the spill? Scientists hope to find out.

Scientists already work hard studying microbes. But so far, they mainly work at dividing microbes into groups to identify them. Now they will answer new questions. How do microbes affect our health? Can we use microbes in soil to grow food better? How do we pass microbes around at home, work, and hospitals? If we had that information, we might be able to use it to keep people healthier.

God created microbes. They are His tiny workers. Scientists are finding out that microbes are part of almost everything that happens on Earth! What else might they discover about them?