Flush : the remarkable science of an unlikely treasure

Flush The remarkable science of an unlikely treasure

Bryn Nelson

Book - 2022

"The future is sh*t: the literal kind. For most of human history we've been, well, disinclined to take a closer look at our body's natural product-the complex antihero of this story-save for gleaning some prophecy of our own health. But if we were to take more than a passing look at our poop, we would spy a veritable cornucopia of possibilities. We would see potent medicine, sustainable power, and natural fertilizer to restore the world's depleted lands. We would spy a time capsule of evidence for understanding past lives and murderous ends. We would glimpse effective ways of measuring and improving human health from the cradle to the grave, early warnings of community outbreaks like Covid-19, and new means of identifyin...g environmental harm-and then reversing it. Flush is both an urgent exploration of the world's single most squandered natural resource, and a cri de coeur (or cri de colon?) for the vast, hidden value in our "waste." Award-winning journalist and microbiologist Bryn Nelson, PhD, leads readers through the colon and beyond with infectious enthusiasm, helping to usher in a necessary mental shift that could restore our balance with the rest of the planet and save us from ourselves. Unlocking poop's enormous potential will require us to overcome our shame and disgust and embrace our role as the producers and architects of a more circular economy in which lowly byproducts become our species' salvation. Locked within you is a medicine cabinet, a biogas pipeline, a glass of drinking water, a mound of fuel briquettes; it's time to open the doors (carefully!). A dose of medicine, a glass of water, a gallon of rocket fuel, an acre of soil: sometimes hope arrives in surprising packages"--

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Subjects
Feces.
Feces > Social aspects.
Body fluids.
Published
New York : Grand Central Publishing 2022.
Language
English
Main Author
Bryn Nelson (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
vii, 421 pages ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 341-398) and index.
ISBN
9781538720028
  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1. Matter
  • Chapter 2. Horror
  • Chapter 3. Savior
  • Chapter 4. Memory
  • Chapter 5. Portent
  • Chapter 6. Monitor
  • Chapter 7. Epitome
  • Chapter 8. Source
  • Chapter 9. Catalyst
  • Chapter 10. Bounty
  • Chapter 11. Balm
  • Chapter 12. Momentum
  • Acknowledgments
  • Credits
  • Further Reading
  • Bibliography
  • Index
Review by Booklist Review

As a rule, we try not to think too much about our poop. It's one of the most taboo topics in our society, and our sewer systems are designed to keep it out of sight as much as possible. And yet, poop is a treasure trove of resources that we can use to make the world better. Scat can cure diseases and protect us against several major health concerns, aid in forensic and medical investigations, replenish our soils, and even become a source of energy, precious metals, and clean drinking water. New methods to make better use of our sewage can also help reduce pollution and greenhouse-gas emissions. Poop can help heal our planet. Nelson dives into the science of scat and profiles several examples of how people are using poop in new and innovative ways. Wide ranging and deeply informed, with a wry sense of humor, this is a solid recommendation for fans of Mary Roach, as well as anyone interested in out-of-the-box ideas to help fix some of our most pressing problems.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Science journalist Nelson debuts with a beguiling look at a "less-than-charismatic" topic: feces. Humans are the planet's "second most prolific poopers" (cattle being the first), Nelson writes, and it's a shame that most human feces are flushed away. Human waste can enrich soil, holds clues for anthropologists to learn about the past, and can save lives (via human-to-human fecal transplants). As well, biogas produced by fecal microbes can be used as fuel, and it's possible to cook with biochar made from excrement. There's a long history of humans using waste: ancient nomadic warriors dipped arrowheads in it, and in the Middle Ages, European invaders catapulted bubonic plague victims' feces over town walls. Nelson has an easy hand in accessibly explaining the chemical interactions involved in upcycling waste, and is generous with enlightening anecdotes. It adds up to a convincing case that humans ought to get more comfortable with what they flush, as doing so can "help us transition to a more circular economy in which we discard nothing and abandon the fantasy that we exist outside of ancient cycles of... growth and decay." This is pop science done right. Agent: Anna Sproul-Latimer, Neon Literary. (Sept.)

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

A remarkable study of how human feces could play a crucial role in a sustainable future. Nelson, an award-winning science writer with a background in microbiology, believes that human excrement is a valuable resource, and he examines the subject from many different perspectives. The author displays an admirable willingness to investigate personally, and his travels include a reclamation plant in Kenya and a range of treatment facilities in the U.S. The idea of fertilizer derived from feces has been around for a long time, but new research has shown more effective methods for removing the pathogens and utilizing the treatment byproducts--e.g., heat and methane. The water in sewage can be extracted, purified, and returned to the environment. The Blue Plains plant that serves Washington, D.C., puts roughly 3,500 gallons of clean water into the Potomac River every second. Fecal matter, broken down by fly larvae, can also make fuel briquettes, and one ton of briquettes can replace more than 20 trees that would have been used for firewood. Nelson also investigates the medical uses of the bacteria in feces, citing numerous cases of people who have insufficient bacteria in their own gut who have had beneficial bacterial transplants. This is just scratching the surface of a field with a huge amount of potential. The biggest problem with treating feces as a resource is the yuck factor, which probably has roots in diseases like cholera. The attitude has been hard to shift, but with an increasing awareness of resource depletion, it might be changing. Nelson speculates that the future of feces reclamation should include household- or neighborhood-scale plants, and the chapter on new-generation composting toilets is particularly interesting. It all adds up to a fascinating book punctuated with humor and imbued with optimism about the future. "Sometimes," writes the author, "hope arrives in surprising packages." An authoritative, informative, and entertaining book that will change the thinking about what comes out of our bodies. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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