Jamie Lorimer.
The Probiotic Planet: using life to manage life.
University of Minnesota Press. 2020
In this ambitious and original work, Jamie Lorimer offers a sweeping overview
of diverse probiotic approaches and an insightful critique of their promise and limitations.
He argues that, all too often, probiotic interventions are viewed in isolation,
and he calls for a rethinking of artificial barriers between science and policy.
He also describes the stark and unequal geographies of the use of probiotic practices
and examines why these patterns exist.
Lorimer opens the book with a thoughtful discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic
and its relation to probiotics.
Informed by deep engagement with microbiology, immunology, ecology, and conservation biology
as well as food, agriculture, and waste management,
The Probiotic Planet offers nothing less than a new paradigm for collaboration between
the policy realm and the natural sciences.