In terms of energy exchange, intercellular cross talk, and biochemical inventiveness, the microbial world continues to furnish surprises. Eventually, some of that microbial mystique might provide us sluggish humans with novel approaches for harnessing energy. Meanwhile, probing provides insights as to how microorganisms function under unusual — and, in some cases, extreme — environmental circumstances, according to several researchers who spoke during separate symposiums, including “Melanized Fungi: the Dark Side of Medical Mycology” and “Electromicrobiology and Extracellular Electron Transfer,” convened during the 108th ASM General meeting, held last June in Boston, Mass.