'Thrilling and eye-opening' Lewis Dartnell

'Unpicks everything we thought we knew... Mind blowing' Cal Flyn

Humans did not make history - we played host.

According to the accepted narrative of progress, a few great humans have bent the arc of history. But in this revelatory book, Dr Jonathan Kennedy argues that germs have done more to shape humanity at every stage, from the first success of Homo sapiens over the equally intelligent Neanderthals to the fall of Rome and the rise of Islam.

How d...

A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK

A TIMES SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR

A SUNDAY TIMES SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR

'Powerfully argued... Fascinating and pacy' Sunday Times, Book of the Week

'Superbly written... sure to please readers of Yuval Noah Harari or Rutger Bregman' The Times

'Full of amazing facts' Observer

'The book shines when it brings cutting-edge science to bear' Financial Times

'A dizzying range of material' The Economist

'A humbling story for humankind' Spectator

Challenges some of the gr...