I, superorganism : learning to love your inner ecosystem

Turney, Jon2016

Books

Find it!
Remove I, superorganism : learning to love your inner ecosystem from your current list Save I, superorganism : learning to love your inner ecosystem to your current list

Total copies: 2

Available: 2

Availability by location

Place reservation

Summary

Every human body carries a secret cargo: a huge population of micro-organisms that lives in your mouth and nose, on your skin, in your guts. This is the human microbiome, and it has in the last few years become biologists' most thrilling research interest.Vastly outnumbering human cells, our invisible passengers are vital to life. They help us digest food, make essential nutrients, and combat disease. They help regulate allergies and inflammation via the immune system. They may even have a role in developing behaviour. We are not just isolated humans, but superorganisms. And that calls into question our obsession with disinfection and sterilisation, and our antibiotic addiction, which is like managing a complex ecosystem with napalm. Jon Turney presents an account of a new realm of human biology that will make you think again about this machine we call ourselves.