Over the last decades, life sciences are developing at an unprecedented pace. Following all new discoveries became difficult for the general public as well as for specialists.

Microbiome research is a good example: just as the discovery of the microscope 350 years ago opened a new door for microbiology, new technologies for the analysis of biological molecules created immense possibilities to dive into the previously unseen microbial world. During the last 15 years, our learning curve about microbes in us, on us, and around us has risen sharply and there is no end in sight. Our fundamental understanding of infectious diseases and the importance of microbes for our general health has started to change. The "microbiome" is a word we hear often today on many media and several books have been already written about it. Still, many facts said or written about microbiomes can be confusing or misleading.

Our feeling was that a book is needed which will cover all current issues regarding human microbiomes: from head-to-toe, from historical perspectives, about the stand of our current knowledge, the health issues, practical use of our knowledge, actual trends, and future challenges. This is how we boarded on an exciting journey of creating this book, bringing in experts from various areas of microbiome research and its applications.

Why the title “I, Microbiome”?

Those being science-fiction fans certainly remember “I, Robot”, a famous book by Isaac Asimov (later also a movie). There, he introduced three laws of robotics. In short: a robot may not injure humans, he should obey the orders of humans but also take care of his own existence.

When we think about microbiomes and their symbiotic relationships with all living beings on our planet (including us) we can associate to Asimov´s three laws to some extent:

First, microbiomes don´t want to harm us. On the contrary, by producing beneficial chemicals and by interacting with our organs they can work FOR us. Second, microbiomes will take “orders” from us - for example, if we feed them with the right nutrients.

Finally, if we don´t treat them well, they might no longer protect us and even cause a disease.

Thus, knowing the roles of individual microbes in and on us and how to treat them right, might be a secret to keep our bodies healthy and in balance with the environment.

Our book “I, microbiome” is great for common readers to learn about human microbiomes, but also for specialists who want to have a general overview, or as a starting point to step into this broad field.

The best news, in the end, is: Our book is coming out on September 15!