I Contain Multitudes

Many people have come to believe that the immune system is strictly for defense against pathogens. The immune system plays a larger role, more like a balancing act. How have our microbes shaped our immune system, for better or for worse?

Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was a foundational evolutionary text for multicellular animals. How have his theories of evolution impacted how we view our relationship to our microbes? Do these same theories apply to bacteria and our symbiotic relationship with them?

Yong makes it clear that symbiosis is a neutral term and not one that is inherently positive. Do you agree with this sentiment, or is our relationship with bacteria mostly positive or negative?

Numerous studies have shown that our microbiome might be responsible for health issues such as obesity, asthma, depression, and other inflammatory illnesses. Looking at these studies through a critical scientific lens, discuss how such studies (when talked about incorrectly) can turn into misinformation. How can these connections between bacteria and illness teach us about the scientific process?

Chapter 6 brings up the concept of the hologenome, a new concept that faces significant controversy in the field of evolutionary microbiology. Discuss the nature of the hologenome and whether it aligns with currently evolutionary thought or leaves out critical details of what we know to be true about symbiosis.

Evolution is defined as change over time, and that amount of time can be thousands of years. Bacteria have evolved mechanisms to speed up evolution, particularly using horizontal gene transfer. Discuss how animals have co-opted the speed at which bacteria are able to evolve, and how that process has impacted the evolutionary timeline.

We have thought about evolution as change over time, based on natural selection of mutations that randomly appear in an individual’s genome. How has the discovery of the microbiome impacted the way that we view evolution and how evolution acts upon animal species?

Probiotics are commonly advertised as bacteria that will benefit our health when consumed. Discuss how the idea of probiotics may not be as simple as thought, and how current science challenges the use of probiotics as medicine.