Quotes from Rob DeSalle

You are not what you think you are. Instead of the form staring back at you when you look in the mirror, what you should imagine is your body as a collection of multiple dynamic ecosystems made up of very tiny, and very biologically diverse, organisms.

As far as we can tell, it is alone in its ability not only to respond to the stimuli that come in from the world around it but also to literally remake that world in imagination.

The Bertam palm of Malaysia, for example, bears large flowers that exude a sugar-rich nectar. This nectar spontaneously ferments to produce a pungent beverage with some 3.8 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), which is about the strength of the beer traditionally served in British pubs.