![]() With humor and erudition, Ed Yong prompts us to look at ourselves and our fellow animals in a new light: less as individuals and more as the interconnected, interdependent multitudes we assuredly are. While much of the prevailing discussion around the microbiome has focused on its implications for human health, Yong broadens this focus to the entire animal kingdom, giving us a grander view of life. ![]() I Contain Multitudes lets us peer into that world for the first time, allowing us to see how ubiquitous and vital microbes are: they sculpt our organs, defend us from disease, break down our food, educate our immune systems, guide our behavior, bombard our genomes with their genes, and grant us incredible abilities. ![]() Even today, many people think of microbes as germs to be eradicated, but those that live with us-the microbiome-are invaluable parts of our lives. Only recently have they immigrated from the neglected fringes of biology to its center. When they finally surfaced in biological studies, they were cast as rogues. A groundbreaking, marvelously informative “microbe’s-eye view” of the world that reveals a radically reconceived picture of life on earth.įor most of human existence, microbes were hidden, visible only through the illnesses they caused. ![]()
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