Started this book because people at work were reading it
(I'm a working scientist) and thought that I would give it a go. It is
wonderfully written, Yong has certainly done his research and knows how to
communicate it. All of the stories are outlined with delightful stories that
make them all accessible, even to non-scientists. There are even a ton of
pictures to illustrate all of his stories!
The tagline to this book involves "a grader view of
life" and Yong certainly delivers on that aspect of it. The way he
describes it we are constantly covered in microbes, and coating everything we
touch in clouds of it. We're like Pigpen from Peanuts, constantly exuding our
own microbes everywhere. And the effects that these guys have on us is amazing,
obviously they affect our digestive system but also our preferences for certain
foods and have been shown to alter fly sexual activity. Where do we end and the
microbes begin?
One thing that is probably important to mention is that not
all microbes are bad, in fact many of them are very good for us. It is
important to have a diverse microbiome, and in the age of hand sanitizer and
antibiotics we are effectively killing off our microbiome. If we continue on
this path, we will probably end up surrounded by bacteria resistant to
antibiotics that ravage our bodies and the world. Yong calls for awareness of
this, and to stop ourselves before this gets out of hand.
Probably the highest compliment that I can give this book is
that it made me want to be a microbiologist. Reading this, you get the feeling
that everything we do is caused by these tiny bacteria, and if we could only
puzzle out what they are telling us then everything will be made clear.
Obviously life is not really like that, but it is a testament to Yong's
compelling writing that you feel that way as you read it. Whether you are an
expert in the field or just an interested beginner, I don't think I can recommend
this book enough! Hopefully Yong writes another book sometime soon.
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