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

Yong, Ed

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1784700177 ISBN 13 : 9781784700171

Editeur : Vintage, 2017

A propos du livre

Quatrième de couverture

A groundbreaking, marvelously informative “microbe’s-eye view” of the world that reveals a radically reconceived picture of life on earth.

For most of human existence, microbes were hidden, visible only through the illnesses they caused. When they finally surfaced in biological studies, they were cast as rogues. Only recently have they immigrated from the neglected fringes of biology to its center. 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.

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. 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.

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. When we look at the animal kingdom through a microbial lens, even the most familiar parts of our lives take on a striking new air. We learn the secret, invisible, and wondrous biology behind the corals that construct mighty reefs, the glowing squid that can help us understand the bacteria in our own guts, the beetles that bring down forests, the disease-fighting mosquitoes engineered in Australia, and the ingredients in breast milk that evolved to nourish a baby’s first microbes. We see how humans are disrupting these partnerships and how scientists are now manipulating them to our advantage. We see, as William Blake wrote, the world in a grain of sand.

I Contain Multitudes is the story of these extraordinary partnerships, between the familiar creatures of our world and those we never knew existed. It will change both our view of nature and our sense of where we belong in it.

Revue de presse

"Super-interesting... He just keeps imparting one surprising, fascinating insight after the next. I Contain Multitudes is science journalism at its best" (Bill Gates)

"[A] marvellous, thrilling and richly annotated book... I call it marvellous: everything about the microbial world is to be marvelled at. And it is a page-turner in a very old-fashioned sense. All life is here, and death too, and sex and violence, including deviations of which you had never dreamed ... We have an inner life, in every sense, and are the richer for it: richer still for this witty and compelling book." (Tim Radford Guardian)

"Beyond fascinating. An amazing book. It'll change the way you think about the world. It'll change who you think you are." (Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk)

"Momentous ... an essential read" (Bryan Appleyard Sunday Times)

"I Contain Multitudes makes the importance of popularising science...sparklingly clear... From his vibrant introduction to his witty endnotes, Yong’s expertise and narration hold no less wonder than a sacred text." (Kate Womersley Spectator)

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Vintage
• Date d'édition: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1784700177
• ISBN 13: 9781784700171
• Reliure: Broché
• Langue: anglais
• Nombre de pages: 368