Can science really do any good if it is not shared with others? Just as microbes only flourish when their signal molecules communicate with their neighbors and hosts, science only thrives when scientists interact with each other. Traditional scientific communication channels — publications, visiting other labs, and conference-speaking — are now supplemented by internet-enabled tools like video conferencing, blogging, and social media. They not only make it easier to share findings with other scientists, but also with a wider audience. In 2014, to serve a growing community of researchers and others interested in microbiome research, I started a daily summary of the field’s scientific papers. What began as my “Microbiome Digest” email sent to around twenty lab colleagues is now curated by a team of 30 volunteers, and my accompanying Twitter account — @MicrobiomDigest — has 85,000 followers. Crucially, social media also enables me to shine a light on flawed and fraudulent data in scientific papers. The heavy reliance on conventional publications as a measure of scientific output, together with the disappointing reluctance of journals, publishers, and institutions to correct errors, has resulted in a significant proportion of scientific papers containing irreproducible, incorrect, biased, or — at worst — downright fraudulent results. As scientists, we have a responsibility to interact with each other, and to reach out to other communities. Above all though, we must communicate honestly and fight scientific misconduct. Only then can we confront the monumental issues of the day, such as climate change and pandemics.