The Nature of Pandemics & Invisible Friends – The Microbes That Shape Our Lives

Jake will explore pandemics as ecological events shaped by how we alter landscapes and interact with wildlife, highlighting the pathogens most likely to spill over and what truly works to prevent future crises. He will then shift to the microbes that help us thrive, revealing how our ‘invisible friends’ support immunity, metabolism, mental health and ecosystem health – and why protecting microbial biodiversity matters.

Jake is an award-winning microbial ecologist who explores the linkages between biodiversity and human health. He is also passionate about developing ways to restore damaged and degraded ecosystems. He has published over 65 peer-reviewed papers and three popular-science books, including Invisible Friends: How Microbes Shape Our Lives and the World Around Us, Treewilding: Our Past, Present, and Future Relationship with Forests, and The Nature of Pandemics: Why Protecting Biodiversity is Key to Human Survival. Find out more: www.jakemrobinson.com and www.naturegutbrain.com