Our trajectory as a species is hardwired to this four-billion-year-old bio-geo-chemical system that has profoundly worked and reworked the planetary environment, all the way from bacteria to city planners, atmospheric oxygen to paper mills. In addition to our own genes, each of us carries the genes of tens of trillions of microbial passengers.
人类物种轨迹与拥有四十亿年历史的生物地球化学系统紧密相连，上述系统反复影响着从细菌、城市规划、大气含氧量到造纸厂在内的星球环境。我们每个人除自身基因外还携带着数十万亿微生物。这些微生物携带着将会永久传承的代谢过程密码——恰恰是这些过程决定了我们这个世界的环境。这不啻为生命在任何地方成功生存的可靠蓝图，即使不同地方的生化细节或许会有所不同。