As we continue to live through the pandemic, all eyes are on microbes: an imperceptible and pervasive threat that hangs heavy on the air and clings to surfaces. But the reality of micro-organisms is far more diverse and life-sustaining than such a notion would have us believe. Not only are these invisible friends omnipresent, but we are highly attuned to their workings - both in the world at large and right there within our own bodies. Meanwhile, cutting-edge microbiome research is changing our understanding of reality, challenging fundamental concepts of free will and individuality.
Threaded through everything are microbes: the very glue that holds ecosystems together.
This topical, engaging and original book counters the prevailing narrative of microbes as the bane of society, along the way providing much-needed clarity on the overwhelmingly beneficial role they play. We discover how the microbiome is highly relevant to environmental and social equity issues. There is also discussion of the ways in which microbes may influence our decisions:
even the way we think about how we think may need to be revisited.
Invisible Friends introduces the reader to a vast, pullulating cohort of minute life - friends you never knew you had.
Jake M. Robinson is a microbial ecologist based in the UK.
In 2021, he received a PhD from the University of Sheffield.
He is passionate about researching microbes, ecosystems, social equity issues and the connections between them, and at the same time is keen to develop ways to conserve and restore nature.