For centuries, microorganisms were viewed through a lens of fear and hostility. From Leeuwenhoek’s first glimpses of “animalcules” to Pasteur’s germ theory, our relationship with microbes has oscillated between fascination and warfare. The 20th century, with its obsession for sterility, antibiotics and disinfectants, nearly erased the understanding that microbes are not merely enemies but essential allies in human health.