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The Hidden Half of Nature
- The Microbial Roots of Life and Health
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
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The Hidden Half of Nature
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Summary
A riveting exploration of how microbes are transforming the way we see nature and ourselves - and could revolutionize agriculture and medicine.
Prepare to set aside what you think you know about yourself and microbes. Good health - for people and for plants - depends on Earth's smallest creatures. The Hidden Half of Nature tells the story of our tangled relationship with microbes and their potential to revolutionize agriculture and medicine, from garden to gut.
When David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé decide to restore life into their barren yard by creating a garden, dead dirt threatens their dream. As a cure, they feed their soil a steady diet of organic matter. The results impress them. In short order, the much-maligned microbes transform their bleak yard into a flourishing Eden. Beneath their feet, beneficial microbes and plant roots continuously exchange a vast array of essential compounds. The authors soon learn that this miniaturized commerce is central to botanical life's master strategy for defense and health.
They are abruptly plunged further into investigating microbes when Biklé is diagnosed with cancer. Here, they discover an unsettling truth. An armada of bacteria (our microbiome) sails the seas of our gut, enabling our immune system to sort microbial friends from foes. But when our gut microbiome goes awry, our health can go with it. The authors also discover startling insights into the similarities between plant roots and the human gut.
We are not what we eat. We are all - for better or worse - the products of what our microbes eat. This leads to a radical reconceptualization of our relationship to the natural world: By cultivating beneficial microbes, we can rebuild soil fertility and help turn back the modern plague of chronic diseases. The Hidden Half of Nature reveals how to transform agriculture and medicine - by merging the mind of an ecologist with the care of a gardener and the skill of a doctor.
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What listeners say about The Hidden Half of Nature
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- coz
- 25-05-20
excellent
I have heard interesting books on the human microbiome and the importance of microbes in the soil
before but this book ties them together and therefore adds perspective to both. it is accessible and interlaced with personal story and scientific history. It is thought provoking and well worth the listen!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 24-07-22
next level book for microorganisms
the link between microorganism in the soil and in the human body. I enjoyed the book and one new things thank you
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nicky Ramone
- 11-11-20
Very interesting & well read
As other reviewers say, it is a bit weird hearing a man talking about microbes in his vagina, but that production choice aside, the narration was excellent.
The book itself was in two parts, firstly about soil and secondly about the human body. I bought the book out of interest in the soil and found my purchase justified - the section was interested and reflected some of my own experience. The information about the human body and the development of microbe-aware science was an unexpected pleasure. A very interesting book, very easy to follow the ideas as they are well-presented and made as uncomplicated as possible. I very much enjoyed listening to this audiobook.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- The Cambridge Belgian
- 26-03-22
Important knowledge for everyone
The content of this book is something that should be taught in school and colleges. The life of this planet and all of us depends on what we are going to do about it in the next decade or 2. We are all interconnected and it all beginnings with the smallest forms of life! Thank you for writing it.
I have first listened to it on Audible and have also purchased the hard copy for easy reference.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- E. Sumptus
- 13-05-22
The Copernican Revolution for Food & Health..
From the Soil Biome to the Gut Biome, allowing Life to cooperate with us, instead of bombing it almost out of existence with synthetic chemicals. Whether herbicides of refined sugars, these factory-foods create short-term gains & long-term losses - devastating losses.
This book is an engaging introduction to this new field - solid science catching up with the intuitions of the Organic Movement.
I generally don't like audio books read in American accents (hardly designed for communication of careful info..), but this one is not so bad. Really, the only negative is that (at least part of) the book is written in the female author's voice, but still read by a man.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 29-11-20
Very good book
A well narrated book with great ideas that have influenced the way I eat. I highly recommend this book. It could be a life changer for many people
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- David B
- 02-03-16
An excellent read (listen!)
Any additional comments?
An excellent book that should be compulsary reading for our politicians,
My only slight gripe is that the audiobook was read by a man, and it was confusing who actually was writing the chapter. Perhaps would have been better if the chapters were introduced by 'David' or 'Anne'.
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- Rachel Quinn
- 16-02-18
Engaging
Loved it & re-listened to it with repeat enjoyment. A lot of detailed information but not taxing.
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- cannymoose
- 02-04-20
thought provoking
enjoyed this the whole way through. it is quite thought provoking, and the comparison was justified.
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- Sophie C Butcher
- 23-11-22
changed my view of the world
I found this a compelling listen, with just the right amount of technical sciencey stuff to inform me without overwhelming me. I have a much better understanding of how two biomes work - our soil and our gut- and how they are interconnected. it seems there is a way forwardwith health and climate change and it is remarkably simple. with this understanding, I know better what to do
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