The microbes that live with us — the microbiome — are invaluable parts of our lives, indeed of all life on earth. I Contain Multitudes, a New York Times-bestseller upon its hardcover publication in 2016,lets us peer into the vast world of the microbiome for the first time, allowing us to see how ubiquitous, complex, and vital microbes really 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. With humor and wit, 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. 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.

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