Image for I contain multitudes  : the microbes within us and a grander view of life

I contain multitudes : the microbes within us and a grander view of life

See all formats and editions

This was selected as a New York Times Non-Fiction Book of the Year.

It is also New York Times Bestseller. Your body is teeming with tens of trillions of microbes.

It's an entire world, a colony full of life. In other words, you contain multitudes. These microscopic companions sculpt our organs, protect us from diseases, guide our behaviour, and bombard us with their genes.

They also hold the key to understanding all life on earth.

In I Contain Multitudes, Ed Yong opens our eyes and invites us to marvel at ourselves and other animals in a new light, less as individuals and more as thriving ecosystems. We learn the invisible and wondrous science behind the corals that construct mighty reefs and the squid that create their own light shows.

We see how bacteria can alter our response to cancer-fighting drugs, tune our immune system, influence our evolution, and even modify our genetic make-up. And we meet the scientists who are manipulating these microscopic partners to our advantage.

In a million tiny ways, I Contain Multitudes will radically change how you think about the natural world, and how you see yourself.

Read More
Title Unavailable: Out of Print
Product Details
The Bodley Head Ltd
1847923283 / 9781847923288
Hardback
579
01/09/2016
United Kingdom
English
354 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (colour)
24 cm
General (US: Trade) Learn More