Environmental Microbiology, Soil Science, Nanoscience: A Planetary View

Abstract

Nanoscience opened novel perspectives in many fields of science and technology in the twenty-first century. In soil and other environments, natural nano-sized systems such as clay minerals and humic substances exist and their interactions with biota strongly affect soil properties. Soil nanoparticles in some opposite to the engineered ones undoubtedly are capable of influencing metabolic activities of microorganisms. Different inter-planetary born inorganic and organic particles also appear nano-sized, and often they demonstrate structural analogy with soil components. Evidences also exist on the distribution of nanoparticles in the interstellar space, and their ejection to the planet Earth. These phenomena seem to open a rather unexpected view on the origin of the elemental soil constituents on the planet Earth.