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Abstract

There is no better sign that the golden age of marine microbiology is here than the request of this journal to write a short comment about them. Marine microbiology was long considered marginal compared to heavy hitters such as clinical and pathogenic microbiology. But without sea microbes, you would not be able to read these lines. Minute algae in the vastness of the world’s oceans produce the oxygen for every second breath you take. Marine microbes make up a staggering 98% of the ocean’s biomass, process most of our planet’s greenhouse gases, and are rich sources of antimicrobials and pharmaceuticals.