Modern society seems to have gone germophobic—say the word "bacteria" and most people will immediately conjure images of nasty illnesses and dangerous infections. But bacteria, fungi and other microbes underpin some of the most fundamental cycles of life and death on this planet. What's more, all kinds of beneficial microbes can be used to construct self-repairing buildings, to power batteries, to solve murder investigations and even to fight off deadly diseases.

In short, microbes are amazing, and here are just some of the ones that deserve to be celebrated: