The Wild Life of Our Bodies: Predators, Parasites, and Partners That Shape Who We Are Today

“Anextraordinary book…. With clarity and charm [Dunn] takes the reader into theoverlap of medicine, ecology, and evolutionary biology to reveal an importantdomain of the human condition.” —EdwardO. Wilson, author of Anthill and The Future of Life

BiologistRob Dunn reveals the crucial influence that other species have upon our health,our well-being, and our world in The WildLife of Our Bodies—a fascinating tour through the hidden truths of natureand codependence. Dunn illuminates the nuanced, often imperceptible relationshipsthat exist between homo sapiens and other species, relationships that underpinhumanity’s ability to thrive and prosper in every circumstance. Readers ofMichael Pollan’s TheOmnivore’s Dilemma will be enthralled by Dunn’s powerful, lucid explorationof the role that humankind plays within the greater web of life on Earth.

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A biologist shows the influence of wild species on our well-being and the world and how nature still clings to us—and always will.

We evolved in a wilderness of parasites, mutualists, and pathogens, but we no longer see ourselves as being part of nature and the broader community of life. In the name of progress and clean living, we scrub much of nature off our bodies and try to remove whole kinds of life—parasites, bacteria, mutualists, and predators—to allow ourselves to live free of wild danger. Nature, in this new world, is the landscape outside, a kind of living painting that is pleasant to contemplate but nice to have escaped.

The truth, though, according to biologist Rob Dunn, is that while "clean living" has benefited us in some ways, it has also made us sicker in others. We are trapped in bodies that evolved to deal with the dependable presence of hundreds of other species. As Dunn reveals, our modern disconnect from the web of life has resulted in unprecedented effects that immunologists, evolutionary biologists, psychologists, and other scientists are only beginning to understand. Diabetes, autism, allergies, many anxiety disorders, autoimmune diseases, and even tooth, jaw, and vision problems are increasingly plaguing bodies that have been removed from the ecological context in which they existed for millennia.

In this eye-opening, thoroughly researched, and well-reasoned book, Dunn considers the crossroads at which we find ourselves. Through the stories of visionaries, Dunn argues that we can create a richer nature, one in which we choose to surround ourselves with species that benefit us, not just those that, despite us, survive.

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“A pleasure to read. He is not a biologist moonlighting as a writer; he is both. Dunn also does a wonderful job interspersing history, research, and speculation with real-life human beings. He has a natural flair for drama and tension . . . a highly readable, informative mashing of ideas and disciplines.” - Boston Globe

“The human body may be the piece of biological real estate we’re most familiar with, and yet it’s filled with surprises. It evolved over inconceivable expanses of time, becoming a veritable ecosystem of parasites, bacteria, fungi, and viruses. We may think we’ve liberated ourselves from nature with our cities and our medicine, and yet our legacy still lives with us. In The Wild Life of Our Bodies, Rob Dunn explores this terra incognita with verve and curiosity, exploring some of the newest, most provocative ideas about what modern life is doing to our bodies and how to reconcile the future with the past.” - Carl Zimmer author of Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature’s Most Dangerous Creatures and The Tangled Bank: An Introduction to Evolution

“In the tradition of scary-wondrous bedtime stories, Rob Dunn relates how the human race was forged under the blows of predators and parasites. Gut microbes and the leopards that still lurk in every psyche have shaped our mating style, our view of strangers, and even the layout of our suburbs. Many of the tormentors have now gone down in a hail of cheap bullets and antibiotics-not an unqualified victory, warns this elegant and insightful writer. We should at least have kept the worms.” - Hannah Holmes, author of Quirk: Brain Science Makes Sense of Your Peculiar Personality

“Adding touches of humor along the way, Dunn deftly explains complex biological systems for the general reader. […] Highly recommended for nature aficionados, this book should inspire many lively discussions.” - Library Journal

“An extraordinary book about a previously little explored subject. With clarity and charm the author takes the reader into the overlap of medicine, ecology, and evolutionary biology to reveal an important domain of the human condition.” - Edward O. Wilson, University Research Professor Emeritus, Harvard University

“[Dunn is] a master at applying the principle of administering a spoonful of sugar (i.e., humor) to make the “medicine” of complicated scientific information not merely interesting but gripping. Nothing less than an every-person’s handbook for understanding life, great and small, on planet Earth.” - Booklist (starred review)

“Grabbing the reader from the start . . . Dunn moves through the answer to these and other questions with a sure use of language, scientific research, and humor-all of which combined keep the reader highly engaged. . . . Mr. Dunn is a thorough and talented writer.” - New York Journal of Books