Microlands

A celebrated genome scientist sails around the world, collecting tens of millions of marine microbes and revolutionising our understanding of the microbiome that sustains us.

Writing with award-winning science journalist Duncan, Venter presents a lively account of a groundbreaking exploration of the microbiome of the Earth's waters...Important and adventurous science on the high seas.

An epic travelogue, brimming with the excitement of discovery. With characteristic panache, Venter unveils the teeming array of bacteria, viruses, and eukaryotes that crowd our planet's oceans. His research will undoubtedly shape our understanding of the global ecosystem for decades to come.

An exhilarating account of how creative science is accomplished. Few would guess just how many microbes live with us and how much they contribute to human health, both directly in our bodies and by making sure the air we breathe supports life. I have always loved bacteria, but after reading this I have an enhanced appreciation of their value to life on this planet. I highly recommend it.

The Voyage of Sorcerer II combines panoramic linguistic imagery with trenchant scientific insights to provide the reader a virtual seat aboard the most important ship of discovery since Darwin's Beagle. Venter reveals to us why Earth should be called 'Water' and why the ocean's microscopic life is our deepest and most magical reservoir of genetic diversity. This page-turner gives each of us the thrill of seeing our planet's largest universe through the brilliant, intrepid eyes of the scientist who has done more than anyone to unlock the secrets of life.

A tour de force. Following in the paths of the Beagle and the Challenger, Venter has expanded biology's horizons. This book explores microbial life on a global scale, providing cutting-edge solutions to problems of environmental change.

A fascinating inside look at Venter's historic expeditions that makes the experiences, the analysis, and the transformative discoveries come alive.

We humans may think we are the most important species on Earth, but we're actually just bit players in a far broader and more complex microbial world. In this exciting journey into that deeper world, Venter and Duncan expand our scope of what it means to be alive.

A ripping tale of how a sailing adventure and science can be combined to revolutionize our understanding of our bodies, the oceans, and the planet.

J. Craig Venter is founder, Chairman, and CEO of the J. Craig Venter Institute, a nonprofit research organization. He is cofounder of the biotechnology companies Celera, Synthetic Genomics, and Human Longevity. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, he has received numerous public honors and scientific awards, including the U.S. National Medal of Science.
David Ewing Duncan is an award-winning science journalist. A contributor to Wired, Vanity Fair, the New York Times, National Public Radio, ABC News, The Atlantic, and National Geographic and the bestselling author of eleven books published in twenty-one languages, he was founding director of the Center for Life Science Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.

Erling Norrby, M.D., Ph.D. , is Professor of Virology at the Karolinska Institute and served six years as Permanent Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.