Description

Be prepared to put aside what you think you know about yourself and microbes. The good health of humans and plants depends on the smallest creatures on Earth. The Hidden Side of Nature tells the story of our intricate relationship with microbes and how they can revolutionise agriculture and medicine, from the garden to the gut.

In this readable work, packed with stories of their own, the authors offer a startling insight into the similarities between the roots of plants and the human gut. We are all, for better or worse, products of what our microbes consume. This leads to a radical rethinking of our relationship with the natural world: by nurturing beneficial bacteria, we can restore soil fertility and help reverse the current scourge of chronic disease. The hidden side of nature reveals how to transform agriculture and medicine - with the thinking of an ecologist, the care of a gardener and the expertise of a doctor.

DAVID R. MONTGOMERY is Professor of Geomorphology at the University of Washington and a 2008 MacArthur Fellow. ANNE BIKLÉ is a biologist and environmental planner. They are married and live in Seattle with their guide dog, Loki, a black Labrador who has fallen out of a blind lead.