David Montgomery and Anne Biklé, co-authors of The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health (W. W. Norton & Company, 2015), will discuss their book on Feb. 9 at 3:15 p.m. in McElroy Faculty Dining Room. The book is on the relationship between microbial life, plants, and people. Montgomery is a professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and an award-winning author. Biklé is a biologist and environmental planner. Their book details how the creation of a garden lead to the discovery of the similarities between plant roots and the human gut and how cultivating beneficial microbes can benefit soil fertility and the fight against chronic diseases. Sponsor: Environmental Studies Program.