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

Yong, Ed

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062368591 ISBN 13: 9780062368591

Publisher: Ecco Press, 2016

Synopsis

New York Times Bestseller

New York Times Notable Book of 2016

NPR Great Read of 2016

Economist Best Books of 2016

Brain Pickings Best Science Books of 2016

Smithsonian Best Books about Science of 2016

Science Friday Best Science Book of 2016

A Mother Jones Notable Read of 2016

A Bill Gates "Gates Notes" Pick

MPR Best Books of 2016

Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of 2016

Minnesota Star-Tribune Best of the Year

A Kirkus Best Book of the Year

A PW Best Book of the Year

Guardian Best of the Year

Times (London) Best of the Year

Joining the ranks of popular science classics like The Botany of Desire and The Selfish Gene, a groundbreaking, wondrously informative, and vastly entertaining examination of the most significant revolution in biology since Darwin--a "microbe's-eye view" of the world that reveals a marvelous, radically reconceived picture of life on earth.

Every animal, whether human, squid, or wasp, is home to millions of bacteria and other microbes. Ed Yong, whose humor is as evident as his erudition, prompts us to look at ourselves and our animal companions in a new light--less as individuals and more as the interconnected, interdependent multitudes we assuredly are.

The microbes in our bodies are part of our immune systems and protect us from disease. In the deep oceans, mysterious creatures without mouths or guts depend on microbes for all their energy. Bacteria provide squid with invisibility cloaks, help beetles to bring down forests, and allow worms to cause diseases that afflict millions of people.

Many people think of microbes as germs to be eradicated, but those that live with us--the microbiome--build our bodies, protect our health, shape our identities, and grant us incredible abilities. In this astonishing book, Ed Yong takes us on a grand tour through our microbial partners, and introduces us to the scientists on the front lines of discovery. It will change both our view of nature and our sense of where we belong in it.

About this title

Review

"[An] excellent and vivid introduction to our microbiota. . . . infectiously enthusiastic."--New York Times Book Review

"Offer[s] engrossing-and gross-details about how an invisible world shapes our species...Mr. Yong's book lives up to its title, containing multitudes of facts presented in graceful, accessible prose....The author wonderfully turns to the humanities again and again to enrich the book's scientific detail...And he's funny."--Wall Street Journal

"Not since de Kruif's classic, "Microbe Hunters, '' has this invisible world been brought so vividly to life... Yong's curiosity and humor made me smile and even laugh out loud, much to my husband's surprise. By the end of the book his sense of wonder for microbes was, well, infectious."--Boston Globe

"Beautifully written. . . . Yong - who like Carl Zimmer belongs to the highest tier of science journalists at work today - weaves revelatory anecdotes and cutting-edge reporting into an elegant, illuminating page-turner."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Masterful . . . a tale that shifts our personal cosmology and compels us to look anew at the world--The Guardian

"[Yong's] enthusiasm and wonder are propulsive. While [he] acknowledges that the questions outnumber the answers in this relatively nascent field, he thrills to the potential inherent in what scientists have already learned about microbes' astonishing powers. As a result, so do we."--The Week

"Fascinating and elegantly written. . . . Yong peels the veneer of the visible to reveal the astonishing complexity of life thriving beneath and within the crude confines of our perception. . . . masterful [and] intensely interesting."--Brainpickings

"An exceptionally informative, beautifully written book that will profoundly shift one's sense of self to that of symbiotic multitudes."--Kirkus, Starred Review

"Readable and entertaining. . . . Highly recommended for general science readers interested in the complicated relationships between microbes and their hosts."--Library Journal

"Yong writes like Sagan did, with humor and a deep understanding of science. The incredible partnerships these microbes have with all of us, the weird facts that enlighten our knowledge, our own view of nature: they all will change once we understand these partnerships better."--GeekDad

Book Description

An exciting and genre-busting book on microbes, one of science’s hottest topics, by a debut writer with a huge following.

Edition details

• Publisher: Ecco Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0062368591
• ISBN 13: 9780062368591
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 368