Rewriting History: The Golden Age of Microbes.

Dr Jonathan Kennedy's new book, Pathogenesis: How Germs Made History, explores the impact of infectious diseases on human civilization from the time of the Neanderthals to the era of Covid-19. Kennedy argues that microbes have played a significant role in shaping human history, from the dominance of Homo sapiens over Neanderthals to the fall of Rome and the rise of colonial empires. He also warns that we are living in a "golden age for microbes" and that we must learn to deal with new diseases that periodically threaten us. However, Kennedy remains optimistic, believing that microbes may themselves provide the solution to antibiotic resistance in the future.