Remains of the day

Whether mutually beneficial or a parasitic nuisance, Nature’s symbiotic relationships are as multifarious as they are marvellous, says John Lewis-Stempel

On a summer’s day, your garden is full of activity, with hoverflies, butterflies and bees flying from flower to flower. But that is only one slice of the action on your plot. In the ground beneath you

When she died in 2024, Spain’s Maria Branyas was the world’s oldest woman. She was 117. Experts believe the secret to her longevity may have been the bacteria living in her gut – her microbiome – and

Johnny Drain Adventures in Fermentation From ancient origins to culinary frontiers, an exploration of the microbes that shape the world we live in 320pp. Penguin Life. £20. Tim Spector Ferment The lif

Far from being mere pests, snails are at the heart of a healthy garden ecosystem. Discover the many ways they contribute and how you can work with – not against – them for a thriving plot

Soils are the world’s most pervasive ecosystems, and arguably its most complex and important. They’re home to more than half the planet’s species. But they’re also one of the ecosystems we know the le