Glass alteration in the presence of microorganisms has been a topic of research for over 150 years. Researchers from a variety of disciplines, including material science, biology, chemistry, geology, physics, and cultural heritage materials preservation have conducted experiments in this area to try and understand when, how, and why microorganism may interact and subsequently influence the alteration of glass. The breadth and depth of these studies are the topic of this review. This review presents a detailed history and a comprehensive overview of this field of research, while maintaining focus on the terrestrial alteration of anthropogenic silicate glasses. Within this manuscript is a schema for bio-interaction with silicate glasses and an outline of an evidence-based hypothesis on how these interactions may influence glass alteration processes. Topics discussed include microbial colonization of glass, development, and interactions of biofilms with glass surface, abiotic vs. biotic alteration processes, and signatures of bio-alteration. Future research needs and a discussion of practical drivers for this research are summarized.

在存在微生物的情况下进行玻璃改变已成为150多年来的研究主题。来自材料科学，生物学，化学，地质学，物理学和文化遗产材料保护等多个学科的研究人员在该领域进行了实验，试图了解何时，如何以及为什么微生物可能相互作用并随后影响玻璃的改变。这些研究的广度和深度是本综述的主题。这篇综述介绍了该研究领域的详细历史和全面概述，同时重点关注了人为硅酸盐玻璃的陆地蚀变。该手稿中包含与硅酸盐玻璃进行生物相互作用的示意图，以及有关这些相互作用如何影响玻璃蚀变过程的循证假设的概述。讨论的主题包括玻璃的微生物定殖，发育以及生物膜与玻璃表面的相互作用，非生物对生物的改变过程以及生物改变的特征。总结了未来的研究需求，并讨论了该研究的实际驱动因素。