With relatively recent advances in DNA and RNA sequencing, the lab utilizes this technology to study microbes in the built environment as part of the community in which they are found and not just in isolation. The field of “microbial ecology” seeks to understand how microbes interact with other organisms (including both macroorganisms and other microbes) and with the environment. As with any other environment, buildings and other man-made objects provide rich habitats for microbes. Buildings provide space and nutrients for microbes, and the people (and various animals and plants) passing through continually bring new species to the community.
