Dr. Jackie Goordial

Environmental microbiologist Dr. Jackie Goordial explained the importance of microbes in the fourth episode of CBC Gem’s comedy and nature documentary “Frick, I Love Nature.” 

Goordial said that microbes are responsible for 70 per cent of nutrient cycling, including that of oxygen, and that “they form the foundation of everything we know,” essentially creating life as we know it.  

A professor in the School of Environmental Studies and a CIFAR (Canadian Institute for Applied Research) Azrieli Global Scholar, Goordial studies how microorganisms maintain diversity and survive at sub-zero temperatures in permafrost in the Canadian Arctic and how warming temperatures may lead to greenhouse gas release.