Subtitled “Getting to Know the Trillions of Bacteria and other Microbes In, On and Around You”, this is a book about Bacteria, mainly, but also Archaea and Eukarya – all single cell organisms – although, apparently you get multi celled Eukarya, including humans (who knew?).
It’s a fairly comprehensive review of the topic but presented in a readable format, navigating the path between text book and layman’s guide.
In a world – especially in 2020 – where antibacterial is a badge of honour, the reality is our relationship with Microbes is a co-dependant one – both in biological development and day to day life. This book explores that, through a conceptual history of life -in which we learn that viruses aren’t alive whilst bacteria are, again very 2020 – an examination of what makes the Microbiome, and then considering the human interactions. Most of us probably know about about abstracts like gut bacteria, or things like C.diff and H.pylori, but there is much more to the topic, as the 200 or so pages cover.
This was a useful book, perhaps more for interest and knowledge rather than practical application in yoga practice, but there were some gems in it, eg the coexistence between bacteria and viruses which explains why we use antibacterial products in viral control (very 2020).
All in all, if you are interested in human sciences, worth a read.
