In the name of progress, we scrub much of nature off our bodies and homes, removing whole kinds of life—parasites, bacteria, and predators. To modern humans, nature is the landscape outside.
Biologist Rob Dunn contends that while “clean living" has benefited us in some ways, it has also made us sicker in others.” Here, he examines how we can create a richer nature, one in which we choose to surround ourselves with species that benefit us, not just those that, despite us, survive.
Freshman Common Read: Vassar College