"Inkpen and Doolittle focus on microbiological regeneration—how multiple microbiological entities come together, interact, and regenerate after a disruption. The book lays out the definitions, concepts, and theoretical frameworks for microbial regeneration using both ecology and evolution to arrive at the current scientific understanding of this complex concept. . . . Students in these scientific disciplines would benefit from the cross-disciplinary approach."

Library Journal

"To address the issue of regeneration broadly and its framing in contemporary research... Inkpen and Doolittle make a compelling case for a familiar proposal that builds on the hard core of evolutionary theory. Indeed, the book leverages both empirical examples and philosophical analyses to complete this task, all while having the ambitious goal of informing a diverse target audience of laypeople, scientists, and policymakers."

Metascience

“This question is not just academic, but informs critical debates regarding medical interventions, evolution, and conservation. A must-read for evolutionary biologists, historians and philosophers of science, and a wider audience interested in the microbiome.”

Jane Maienschein, Arizona State University and the Marine Biological Laboratory

“The majority of the literature on microbial communities is descriptive, rather than conceptual or theoretical. This book is quite unique, and valuable, in providing a general cross-disciplinary approach to one aspect of microbial community ecology, potentially encouraging more rational, thoughtful, and critical research on this very important topic.”

JI Prosser OBE FRS FRSE FRSB FAAM, University of Aberdeen

“Going beyond definition wrangling, Inkpen and Doolittle synthesize a wide range of topics to put forward a compelling conclusion. Their book balances technicality and clarity in a way that is exceedingly hard to obtain.”

Derek Skillings, University of North Carolina, Greensboro