The Amoeba in the Room: Why Animals and Plants Don't Matter Very Much

Here are some facts of life: A drop of seawater contains 100 thousand bacteria and millions of predatory viruses; a pinch of soil swarms with cryptic microbes whose activities are a mystery; the atmosphere is misted with 50 million tons of fungal spores that affect the weather; and, our bodies are farmed by vast populations of bacteria and viruses that control every aspect of our wellbeing. The more we learn about microbial biodiversity, the less important become animals and plants in understanding life on earth. The flowering of microbial science is revolutionizing biology and medicine in ways unimagined just a few years ago and is inspiring a new view of what it means to be human.

Nicholas Money is Professor of Botany and Western Program Director at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He is the author of more than 70 peer-reviewed papers on fungal biology and has authored four books, including Mushroom (2012), described by Nature magazine as a "brilliant scientific and cultural exploration."

The talk will start at 7PM, and he will be signing copies of Mushroom (available for purchase in store) afterwards.