An exploration of the most common life form on Earth—parasites—and how they provide insight into humanity’s most difficult problems

In this unique piece of pop-science, one of the world’s preeminent experts on parasites reveals their astonishing, disgusting, weird, and fascinating behaviors and how they provide insight into humanity’s most difficult problems.

Squeamishness aside, what can humans learn from the most reviled yet misunderstood animals on Earth: lice, tapeworms, and maggots that can eat a lizard from the inside? And how can these lessons help us negotiate a world characterized by pandemic disease, ethnic hatred, climate change, war, and internet-driven political chaos?

Whether we're learning to adapt to adverse conditions, accept our own limitations, or process new information in a frightening landscape—we can be sure a parasite did it first. Because sometimes, the answers to life's biggest questions can be found by looking at the little things.