Helpful bacteria and scientific innovation

Meet our rockstar bacteria

Did you know helpful bacteria can improve our lives? Watch our animation, and let our bacteria play for you.

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When most people think of bacteria, they think of dirt and disease. But not La Trobe's Dr Ashley Franks and his team of microbiology researchers. They demonstrate there’s much more to bacteria than grime.

Bacteria are fascinating – they can breathe electricity and communicate with touch, but even more amazing than this is that bacteria are helpful in many ways most of us are unaware of. Did you know that bacteria can improve our soil and help to repurpose waste materials? Or that bacteria can produce enough electricity to charge small batteries? And the bacteria that lives inside us can restore balance in our guts, helping us to regulate our moods.

Find out more from our researchers, and challenge your negative feelings towards bacteria.