The role of microbes in soil and human health will be discussed during the Puget Lobe Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute meeting Monday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. at the Edmonds Senior Center.

The discussion, “The Hidden Half of Nature,”  explores the experiences of husband-and-wife authors who wrote a book about microbes, soils, and your health.

Microbes are all around us. From the plants in our backyards to the lining of the human gut, these minuscule bacteria are essential to all living things. For UW geologist David Montgomery and his wife, environmental planner Anne Biklé, this was certainly true when they reconstituted their barren backyard with organic matter.

The presentation covers not only their gardening expertise, but also a “thoughtful discussion” of Biklé’s cancer diagnosis, and subsequent connections between what we eat and how healthy we are. It will explore the many ways the planet’s smallest inhabitants change the course of all life forms.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the meeting.

Chapter meetings are always free and open to the public. The Edmonds Senior Center is located right on the waterfront, at 220 Railroad Ave., just south of the Edmonds-Kingston ferry dock and directly across the street from the Amtrak Station. There is some off-street parking and there is elevator access to the second-floor meeting room.