Imagine you are standing in a huge dark warehouse full of objects, but with a simple flashlight you can only see a tiny section at a time. This is how bacteria are detected using traditional cultivation methods. Most of it remains in the dark.

But new methods such as Gesonden, PCR, and sequencing are like suddenly turning on the lights in the warehouse. Areas that were previously invisible suddenly become visible, and our image of bacteria changes fundamentally. We realize how diverse and vibrant the microbial world really is.

This episode focuses on the change in perspective and shows how much the choice of detection method influences our understanding of microbes. It highlights the fascination of what has long remained hidden from us and how modern technology is helping us to discover the invisible world around us.