The ‘principle of microbial infallibility’ was a mainstay of microbial physiology and environmental microbiology in earlier decades. This principle asserts that wherever there is an energetic gain to be made from environmental resources, microorganisms will find a way to take advantage of the situation. Although previously disputed, this claim was revived with the discovery of anammox bacteria and other major contributors to biogeochemistry. Here, we discuss the historical background to microbial infallibility, and focus on its contemporary relevance to metagenomics. Our analysis distinguishes exploration-driven metagenomics from hypothesis-driven metagenomics. In particular, we show how hypothesis-driven metagenomics can use background assumptions of microbial infallibility to enable the formulation of hypotheses to be tested by enrichment cultures. Discoveries of comammox and the anaerobic oxidation of methane are major instances of such strategies, and we supplement them with outlines of additional examples. This overview highlights one way in which metagenomics is making the transition from an exploratory data-analysis programme of research to a hypothesis-testing one. We conclude with a discussion of how microbial infallibility is a heuristic with far-reaching implications for the investigation of life.

中文翻译：

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重新思考宏基因组学时代微生物的无误性

“微生物无误原则”是早些年微生物生理学和环境微生物学的支柱。这个原则断言，只要有从环境资源中获得能量的地方，微生物就会找到利用这种情况的方法。尽管之前存在争议，但随着厌氧氨氧化细菌和其他生物地球化学的主要贡献者的发现，这一说法得到了复兴。在这里，我们讨论微生物无误的历史背景，并重点关注其与宏基因组学的当代相关性。我们的分析将探索驱动的宏基因组学与假设驱动的宏基因组学区分开来。特别是，我们展示了假设驱动的宏基因组学如何使用微生物无误的背景假设来使假设的制定能够通过富集培养进行测试。comammox 的发现和甲烷的厌氧氧化是此类策略的主要实例，我们用其他示例的大纲对其进行了补充。本概述强调了宏基因组学从探索性数据分析研究计划过渡到假设检验计划的一种方式。我们最后讨论了微生物无误性如何成为一种对生命调查具有深远影响的启发式方法。本概述强调了宏基因组学从探索性数据分析研究计划过渡到假设检验计划的一种方式。我们最后讨论了微生物无误性如何成为一种对生命调查具有深远影响的启发式方法。本概述强调了宏基因组学从探索性数据分析研究计划过渡到假设检验计划的一种方式。我们最后讨论了微生物无误性如何成为一种对生命调查具有深远影响的启发式方法。