Jake M. Robinson
Ecosystem Restoration & Microbial Ecology | Author & Podcaster | Systems Thinker
“Jake Robinson is the Gilbert White, the Henry David Thoreau, of the microbiome.”
- Richard Dawkins
“A fascinating romp through the microbial world and is definitely the sort of book that would make me miss my station.”
- Dr George McGavin
“Invisible Friends is beautifully written, and packed with information about the tiny organisms that form the basis of life on Earth.”
- Dr Rebecca Nesbit
“A remarkable book by a writer who really is fascinated by the wonders of the world.”
- Dr Marja Roslund
“Robinson has crafted an immensely accessible and important book.”
- Prof. John F. Cryan
“Invisible Friends tells a wondrous and vital story of how our very being depends upon the unseen, a reality that can help redefine our broken relationship with nature.”
- Prof. Miles Richardson
“Invisible Friends by Jake Robinson is just COOL. A journey through an ever-changing understanding of the microscopic world.”
- Charlie Bingham
“Invisible Friends provides a fantastic, whimsical, and engaging exploration of our friendship with microbes, a friendship ideally built on caring for each other.”
- Dr Justine Dees
Invisible Friends was published in 2023.
Jake’s new book Treewilding, will be out in August 2024. If you love trees and are interested in restoring ecosystems, this book is for you!
Order Invisible Friends here!
Invisible Friends was published by Pelagic Publishing in March 2023.
“Microbiome research is changing our understanding of the world, and challenging our concepts of free will and individuality.”
Invisible Friends is about our extraordinary relationship with microbes and how they shape our lives and the world around us. The book challenges the prevailing negative perception of microbes by highlighting the weird, wonderful, and indispensable roles they play in our health, behaviour, society, and ecosystems! The stories in this book are informed by my recent microbial ecology PhD journey and diverse experiences in the natural world. Jam-packed with exciting discoveries, cutting-edge theories, and mind-blowing facts, the book also draws upon enriching perspectives of world-leading experts in microbiome science, immunology, neuroscience, landscape architecture, restoration ecology, and nature connectedness.
Discover the true meaning behind our ‘gut feeling’ and how microbes influence our brain and behaviour, with Prof. John F. Cryan; find out how some microbes, colloquially termed ‘Old Friends’, educate our immune systems, with Prof. Graham Rook, and how microbes play surprisingly important roles in social equity, with Dr. Sue Ishaq; learn how we can – and must – ‘rewild’ the microbial communities in our ecosystems and bodies with Dr. Martin F. Breed; and, how microbes can even generate electricity, help restore ecosystems, clean up pollution, shape our foods, and are contributing to a revolution in urban architecture!
I hope you enjoy these stories of interconnectedness and symbiosis!
- Jake Robinson
Jake’s ecological research
Find out more about Jake’s research spanning the fields of microbial ecology, ecological restoration, ecoacinter-kingdom interactions, and socioecological healing.
“Beneath our superficial differences we are, all of us, walking communities of bacteria. The world shimmers, a pointillist landscape made of tiny living beings.”
— Lynn Margulis
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