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  • The Hidden Half of Nature

  • The Microbial Roots of Life and Health
  • Written by: David R. Montgomery, Anne Bikle
  • Narrated by: LJ Ganser
  • Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (27 ratings)

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The Hidden Half of Nature

Written by: David R. Montgomery, Anne Bikle
Narrated by: LJ Ganser
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Publisher's 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.

©2016 David R. Montgomery and Anne Bikle (P)2015 Audible, Inc.
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What listeners say about The Hidden Half of Nature

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A window to unknown world

Very good introduction to microbiology, easy to listen and perfect starting point for continuing reading about the subject.

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Comprehensive and digestible

Amazing book from start to end! As a soil and plant health consultant that spends all my free time in my gardens. This book gives a very interesting look into the biology that lives underneath us and within us! I highly recommend this book to anyone that’s looking to grasp a deeper understanding of the invisible workforce!
Well worth the listen!

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Excellent book

This was a excellent listen for anyone who has any interest in nature and how it works!

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Montgomery does amazing research

Very convincing, holistic look at the science. I find I usually have more questions after these types of books but Montgomery answers all my questions.

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Extraordinary

An absolutely fantastic and deeply informative book - nothing hidden here. I thoroughly enjoyed every page and every moment - filled with accessible yet well described explanations equally well colored with engaging illustrations and some well structured stories. Loved it and on to his next book.

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