Roger Highfield:

The reality is that, despite fears that our children are "pumped full of chemicals", everything is made of chemicals.

Carl Zimmer:

Maybe the microbiome is our puppet master.

Richard Conniff:

If the microbiome is like a symphony, then adding in current probiotics may be the equivalent of performing the piano solo with your elbows.

Verlyn Klinkenborg:

Every now and then I meet someone in Manhattan who has never driven a car. Some confess it sheepishly, and some announce it proudly. For some it is just a practical matter of fact, the equivalent of not keeping a horse on West 87th Street or Avenue A. Still, I used to wonder at such people, but more and more I wonder at myself.