Micro-organisms are used in the production of many

Explanation

Micro-organisms, especially bacteria and fungi, are widely used in the production of antibiotics. Antibiotics are medicines that kill or stop the growth of harmful bacteria in the body. The first antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered from a fungus called Penicillium.

Many antibiotics we use today are made by growing specific micro-organisms in large tanks under controlled conditions. The micro-organisms naturally produce chemicals that fight other microbes. Scientists collect these chemicals, purify them, and turn them into medicines.

Fossil fuels like coal and petroleum are formed over millions of years from dead organisms under heat and pressure, not by micro-organisms in a factory. Minerals are non-living substances found in rocks. Plastics are made from chemicals derived from petroleum. None of these are produced using micro-organisms in the way antibiotics are.