---
title: "2 Microbes Digest Quotes By Ed Yong"
description: "2 Microbes Digest quotes by Ed Yong. Plus more from Ed Yong and more Microbes Digest sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/ed-yong-14636_food_the-world-around-us-is-a-gigantic-reserv_896311.jpg"
---

> [“The world around us is a gigantic reservoir of potential microbial partners. Every mouthful could bring in new microbes that digest a previously unbreakable part of our meals, or that detoxify the poisons in a previously inedible food, or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-world-around-us-is-a-gigantic-reservoir-of-potential-microbial/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/ed-yong-14636_food_the-world-around-us-is-a-gigantic-reserv_896311.jpg)

> [“Humans don't need to evolve a gene that can break down the carbohydrates in seaweed; if we swallow enough microbes that can digest these substances there's every chance that our own bacteria will 'learn' the trick through HGT.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/humans-don-t-need-to-evolve-a-gene-that-can-break-down-the/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c84/ed-yong-14636_microbes-digest_humans-don-t-need-to-evolve-a-gene-that_2905939.jpg)

## More by Ed Yong

> [“Drinking lots of alcohol makes the gut leakier, allowing microbes to more readily influence the brain. Could that help to explain why alcoholics often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/drinking-lots-of-alcohol-makes-the-gut-leakier-allowing-microbes-to/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“No, the algae were making something that killed the corals via their own microbes. That something turned out to be dissolved organic carbon (DOC);…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/no-the-algae-were-making-something-that-killed-the-corals-via-their/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“Patterson died in 2014 but Mazmanian is now carrying on his friend's work. His long-term goal is to develop a bacterium that people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/patterson-died-in-2014-but-mazmanian-is-now-carrying-on-his-friend-s/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“Mucus is made from giant molecules called mucins, each consisting of a central protein backbone with thousands of sugar molecules branching off it. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/mucus-is-made-from-giant-molecules-called-mucins-each-consisting-of-a/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“The Earth is 4.54 billion years old. A span of time that big is too mind-boggling to comprehend, so let’s collapse the planet’s entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-earth-is-4-54-billion-years-old-a-span-of-time-that-big-is-too/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“Many of the plants that the spider mite targets can release hydrogen cyanide when their tissues are breached. This substance is extraordinarily inimical to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/many-of-the-plants-that-the-spider-mite-targets-can-release-hydrogen/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“When microbiologists first started cataloguing the human microbiome in its entirety they hoped to discover a "core" microbiome: a group of species that everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/when-microbiologists-first-started-cataloguing-the-human-microbiome/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“Most animals can't tap into these open-source adaptations deliberately. The flies didn't seek out Spiroplasma to solve their worm problem. Woodrats didn't go looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/most-animals-can-t-tap-into-these-open-source-adaptations/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“Howler monkeys all defecate at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/howler-monkeys-all-defecate-at-the-same-time/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“The variations that exist between the body parts dwarf those that exist between people. Put simply, the bacteria on your forearm are more similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-variations-that-exist-between-the-body-parts-dwarf-those-that/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“It earns its keep. As it digests HMOs, B. infantis releases short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that feed an infant's gut cells - so while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/it-earns-its-keep-as-it-digests-hmos-b-infantis-releases-short-chain/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“When Hamiltonella's genome was sequenced, the real reason behind the bacterium's protective powers became apparent: about half of its DNA actually belonged to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/when-hamiltonella-s-genome-was-sequenced-the-real-reason-behind-the/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“For one group of wasps, the braconids, transferred genes have enabled a bizarre form of pest control. The females of these wasps lay their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/for-one-group-of-wasps-the-braconids-transferred-genes-have-enabled-a/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“Our darkest fiction is full of Orwellian dystopias, shadowy cabals, and mind-controlling supervillains. But it turns out that the brainless, microscopic, single-celled organisms that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/our-darkest-fiction-is-full-of-orwellian-dystopias-shadowy-cabals-and/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

> [“The world around us is a gigantic reservoir of potential microbial partners. Every mouthful could bring in new microbes that digest a previously unbreakable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-world-around-us-is-a-gigantic-reservoir-of-potential-microbial/)

[Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/)

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