I Contain Multitudes：The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life

JoiningtheranksofpopularscienceclassicslikeTheBotanyofDesireandTheSelfishGene，agroundbreaking，wondrouslyinformative，andvastlyentertainingexaminationofthemostsignificantrevolutioninbiologysinceDarwin—a“microbe’s-eyeview”oftheworldthatrevealsamarvelous，radicallyreconceivedpictureoflifeonearth.Everyanimal，whetherhuman，squid，orwasp，ishometomillionsofbacteriaandothermicrobes.EdYong，whosehumorisasevidentashiserudition，promptsustolookatourselvesandouranimalcompanionsinanewlight—lessasindividualsandmoreastheinterconnected，interdependentmultitudesweassuredlyare.Themicrobesinourbodiesarepartofourimmunesystemsandprotectusfromdisease.Inthedeepoceans，mysteriouscreatureswithoutmouthsorgutsdependonmicrobesforalltheirenergy.Bacteriaprovidesquidwithinvisibilitycloaks，helpbeetlestobringdownforests，andallowwormstocausediseasesthatafflictmillionsofpeople.Manypeoplethinkofmicrobesasgermstobeeradicated，butthosethatlivewithus—themicrobiome—buildourbodies，protectourhealth，shapeouridentities，andgrantusincredibleabilities.Inthisastonishingbook，EdYongtakesusonagrandtourthroughourmicrobialpartners，andintroducesustothescientistsonthefrontlinesofdiscovery.Itwillchangebothourviewofnatureandoursenseofwherewebelonginit.