microorganisms

The world’s soils are neither barren nor dead, for they constitute the habitats of one trillion times more bacteria than there are stars in the universe. Even a mere teaspoon of soil contains a million bacteria, 120,000 fungi and 25,000 algae. These microscopic organisms perform key material-cycle functions.

Scientists have observed a phenomenon for years in which workers mainly in new office buildings feel ill after extended periods of time at the workplace or at the end of the working day. These complaints vanish when these same people spend time elsewhere.