Theda Bartolomaeus: Symbiosis and Survival: What Microbes Reveal About Our Shared Future

Microbes show us that life thrives through connection and interaction.

Microbes are among the most powerful yet overlooked forces shaping our planet. They build ecosystems from the ground up, recycle carbon, and respond quickly to environmental shifts. In this talk, I explore how microbial communities act as early indicators and active agents of climate change. Drawing from ancient DNA datasets and host–microbiome studies, I show how past climate events reshaped microbial networks and what this can teach us about future resilience. Inspired by Donna Haraway’s idea of symbiosis, I argue that microbes challenge the notion of borders between species and remind us of our deep entanglement with the rest of life. By combining bioinformatics, ecology, and storytelling, my talk highlights how microbes offer fresh perspectives on sustainability and encourage us to rethink our place in a collaborative and interconnected living system.

This talk takes places at the Inspiration stage on the CAMPUS (Museum für Naturkunde Berlin).
The Inspiration Stage features 12-minute short talks, each block ending with a 20-minute Meet the Scientists session. 

Drop in and out as you like: join one talk, or stay for the full journey. 

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