Since we began gathering in communities, the history of humanity has been inextricably linked with the history of microbes. These have evolved and spread among us, shaping our culture through infection, disease, and pandemic. At the same time, changing human culture has influenced the evolutionary path of microbes. Dorothy H. Crawford shows that neither can be understood without the other.
Beginning with a dramatic account of the SARS pandemic at the start of the 21st century, she takes us back in time to follow the interlinked history of microbes and humans, shedding light on ancient epidemics and disasters, recognizing the crucial turning points in human lifestyle - such as the transition from hunter-gatherers to farmers and then to city dwellers - that made us vulnerable to microbial attack.
By showing how we live today - with increasing crowdedness and air travel - she raises the question again of whether we will ever fully conquer microbes or whether we should adopt a more microbiocentric view of the world. Among the possible answers, one thing becomes clear: for generations to come, our lethal companions will continue to shape human history.
Oxford Landmark Science books are "must-read" classics of modern scientific writing that have condensed big ideas and shaped the way we think. Pages: 272, Dimensions: 13x13cm.
