Flush: The Remarkable Science of an Unlikely Treasure

by Bryn Nelson
@SeattleBryn

For readers of Giulia Enders’ Gut and Bill Bryson’s The Body, a surprising, witty and sparkling exploration of the teeming microbiome of possibility in human feces from microbiologist and science journalist Bryn Nelson.

The future is sh*t: the literal kind. For most of human history we’ve been, well, disinclined to take a closer look at our body’s natural product—the complex antihero of this story—save for gleaning some prophecy of our own health. But if we were to take more than a passing look at our poop, we would spy a veritable cornucopia of possibilities. We would see potent medicine, sustainable power, and natural fertilizer to restore the world’s depleted lands. We would spy a time capsule of evidence for understanding past lives and murderous ends. We would glimpse effective ways of measuring and improving human health from the cradle to the grave, early warnings of community outbreaks like Covid-19, and new means of identifying environmental harm—and then reversing it.

Interview with the Author

Town Hall Seattle Science Series 
188. Bryn Nelson with Sally James – Unlocking the Secrets — and the Science — of Poop
10/13/22            75 min

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Science for the People 
#612 The Poopisode
10/25/22           60 min

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