The Rise of Yeast: How the Sugar Fungus Shaped Civilization

by Nicholas P. Money

The great Victorian biologist Thomas Huxley once wrote, -I know of no familiar substance forming part of our every-day knowledge and experience, the examination of which, with a little care, tends to open up such very considerable issues as does yeast.- Huxley was right. Beneath the very foundations of human civilization lies yeast--also known as the sugar fungus. Yeast is responsible for fermenting our alcohol and providing us with bread--the very staples of life. Moreover, it has proven instrumental in helping cell biologists and geneticists understand how living things work, manufacturing life-saving drugs, and producing biofuels that could help save the planet from global warming.
In Yeast of Eden, Nicholas P. Money--author of Mushroom and The Amoeba in the Room--argues that we cannot ascribe too much importance to yeast, and that its discovery and controlled use profoundly altered human history. Humans knew what yeast did long before they knew what it was. It was not until Louis Pasteur's experiments in the 1860s that scientists even acknowledged its classification as a fungus. A compelling blend of science, history, and sociology Yeast of Eden explores the rich, strange, and utterly symbiotic relationship between people and yeast, a stunning and immensely readable account that takes us back to the roots of human history.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, History, Food, Biology, Audiobook, Agriculture

224 pages, Hardcover

First published December 26, 2017

About the author

Nicholas Money is a mycologist, science writer, and professor at Miami University.

Reviews

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first exposure to the cellular mechanisms churning within yeast was in an epigenetics course. Prior to that, I had no idea how interesting their life cycles and mating were or how useful they are in biological research. Money has written a wonderfully comprehensive and interesting history of human's relationship with yeast, and he included lots of detail about the biochemical nature of yeast cells. Money achieved the perfectly balanced book with his blend of science and social history. In this book you will learn how yeast revolutionized baking and drinking by including it in the making of breads and alcohols. You will further find out how different religions reacted to yeast (really interesting perspective). Money also discussed the role of yeast in vaccines and in producing biofuels. One thing Money did particularly well was provide an overview of what a general eukaryotic cell is like and then discussed the complexities of the yeast cells specifically. ​This was unquestionably the best part of the book for me. Loved this book!

[Elentarri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It has actual science for intelligent people in it, with witty and amusing observations. This book takes a look at man's ancient co-dependence with yeast (the sugar fungus) and how that relationship is still going strong in the 21st century.

The author first starts off with "Yeasty Basics" - a bit of yeast biology, biochemistry and history. The role of yeast in ancient and modern alcoholic beverages (beer, wine) and food (bread, marmite) is examined. True to the subtitle, the author explains how yeast's ability to ferment sugars cultivated the beginnings of civilization. The author also expands of the role of yeast beyond just brewing and baking - yeast is also been used extensively in biologicaly research and biotechnology, such as biofuel production, synthetic silk production, and the production of some medicines (e.g. insulin, blood products, vaccines, ocriplasmin). In a chapter title "Yeasts of Wrath", the role of yeasts in human health and disease has been explored. A chapter is also dedicated to different types of yeast in the wild.

I found this book wildly entertaining, extremely interesting, educational and a joy to read.

In the author's own words:

"Yeast come in many species, but the sugar fungus reigns supreme as our partner in civilization. We would not be here without her. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Homo sapiens have been inseparable for thousands of years. We are reflections of each other, our genetic similarities reflecting the deep ancestral root from which our common cellular machinery arose. Matched expressions of these genomes allow the fungus to ferment alcohol and us to digest it. This metabolic coordination, spread over a few thousand generations of human pleasure and pain - alcohol delivering both - developed in the rainforests from which apes with an upright gait migrated to the savannah. Our complex relationship with alcohol, and later with leavened bread, drove agriculture and settlement. From these splendors came civilization, political organization, militarization, and mass starvation. Later fruits of our yeast-driven civilization included science and technology, engineering and medicine, exponential population growth, and the attendant destruction of the biosphere. And in this time of considerable climatic peril, industrial applications of yeast promise major advance in biotechnology and offer some hope - perhaps our only hope - of powering a carbon neutral economy. The future of humanity depends more on this bug than on any farm animal or crop plant.

In short order, science has transformed the mysterious agent of fermentation into a living factory known inside and out, scrutinized in all its molecular splendor, and manipulated gene by gene to perform astounding feats of biotechnology. this inspiring microbe, the sugar fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is a secular deity, something to be revered as much as the warmth of the sun."

[R Nair · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...Unlike treeshrews, however, fruit flies display all the signs of drunkenness after binging. When they are exposed to high concentrations of alcohol in the form of vapour they become excited, move around more swiftly than usual and bump into obstacles, fall over, and, finally, go to sleep. ...Their sexual behaviour changes too. Males that become habitual drinkers lose their normal inhibitions and increase their courtship behaviour towards other males as well as towards females. Males that engage in successful mating when sober are less interested in drinking afterwards, and males whose sexual advances are spurned by females consume more alcohol in response to rejection.
Substitute human for fly in this paragraph and almost nothing changes."

This book is full of illuminating pronouncements like the one above, along with copious amounts of science. An excellent read for people not too averse to technical elucidation or witty reflections.

[Wouter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A deep dive into the science of yeast, most of the time well-written, and most importantly: it doesn't overstay its welcome. The chapters take you through various compelling yeasty processes, from making beverages and bread (although all too briefly) to its importance in bio fuel and the medical industry.
I got a bit lost in the technical details during the later chapters. I'm not sure whether basic knowledge of microbiology and chemics is a requirement, it sometimes felt a bit too wordy. I picked it up to get to know more about its prevalence in food, but it turned out to be about a more global topic.

[Gusts · Rating 5 out of 5]

On my way back to homebrewing 101.

Whether a complete amateur like myself or Certified Cicerone, this book is an eye opening book not just about yeast as a vital component in brewing or baking fermentation process - it shows how we have co-existed with yeast althrough the centuries and how yeast plays an essential role in manufacturing various biofuels and has become a hidden gem in pharmaceutical industry also.

Mind-blowing read if you are willing to learn.

[Michael Jamaleddine · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Rise of Yeast” is a great book about the large and various influences this single fungus has left on humanity. Money, in a engaging and easily accessible way, details the history of Yeast—how it shaped ancient agriculturalists—and continues on to its modern applications. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in learning more about Yeast’s role in shaping society, and it’s a quick read as well!

[Killthehumans Savetheforest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, I learned the details to profile different yeasts.

THANK YOU for addressing "The Candida Cure", and Ann Boroch's unreasonable claim that yeast overgrowth is responsible for basically all disease. It's easy to see why it's not really possible, once you understand how yeasts work, but it's satisfying to have that book called out directly. A cherry on top of a book that delivered exactly what I was looking for.

[Sally]

Glad I didn't give up in the first two chapters about alcoholic beverages and bread, which I thought would be the highlight. However, the later chapters on industrial, medical, genetic and other modern uses of yeasts were very interesting.

[Christopher Farrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't a book - it's a biology textbook.

[Donna Herrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, the Israelites fled Egypt and a commanded to not eat leavened bread for a week on the anniversaries of this event. Why? That is what lead me to explore the history and science of yeast. This book tells the story of opportunistic use of yeast to its modern industrialized usage today.

[Jeffrey Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating survey of human relationship with an old friend.

Author argues that ancient humans might have settled down not for bread but for beer and alcohol, thanks to yeast.

In addition to making us wine and bread, yeast plays a part in biotech, has the potential to usher us into sustainable fuel source (bioethanol) and also sometimes causes deep pain by attacking our bodies.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suspect it was a good book, but I'm not chemistry / biology inclined. So why did I read (listened to) it?! Who knows.

[Dale Muckerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeasts are the most abundant fungi on our bodies. They seem to be everywhere else also: from the bottom of the ocean, to Antarctic ice fields, to superheated hot springs.

Because of the roles they play in brewing and baking, yeasts were key ingredients to the rise of civilization. In our current times, they make most biofuels possible. Yeasts are among the most basic of unicellular creatures. By studying them scientists can learn how more complex organisms work. One example of this is in the understanding of genetic codes. Scientists have edited yeasts genes both to boost their understanding of genomic codes and also to make yeasts that are better at one thing or another. Yeast business is big business with hundreds of tons of yeast being bought and sold. Yeasts help make certain medicines like insulin and they help regulate our body's biome, but they can play a role in certain diseases also. In the future genetically engineered yeasts may make more efficient biofuels possible. Yeasts may even play a role in rain-making and weather. Fascinating stuff.

The author has a pretty good, often sarcastic sense of humor. On the negative side, however, he sometimes fails to adequately explain the science that he presents in terms that can be understood by a non-scientist intelligent reader. There may be reason for this. He seems to be writing not just for the popular science book readers, but also for other scientists whom he feels don't have enough interest in the wee yeasties.

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!! A very interesting read and a very good introduction to some of the most important, yet least studied organisms, the Fungi. This book, focused on the ubiquitous sugar yeasts, offers a very good review of our long relationship with these special organisms, first by causing fermentation to enhance our food and drink, and later as an an agent of gas production in our rising bread. Thus, yeasts are responsible for much of our livelihood and merriment, though their potential and future use in other areas such as the production of genetically modified yeast-produced medicines and drugs, clean energy production and waste bio-degradation may make their culinary uses pale by comparison. Though yeasts are mostly benign organisms, there of course are circumstances when then can become opportunistic pathogens. There are also some forms of yeasts (non-sugar yeasts) that are likely responsible for much of the asthma that we suffer, and some other conditions. However, the role that yeasts play in everyday ecosystem health is greatly overlooked; the spores of some fungi, including types of yeast, contribute greatly to rain and other climatic patters. The author's enthusiasm for yeasts is evident throughout the book, which is one I highly recommend.

[Jaime Ellis-Sonnen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought that yeast could be quite so fascinating. The author does a great job and making such a microscopic sugar fungus seem larger than life. This book has convinced me to be a fan of Saccharomyces. Yeast has a big impact in all of our lives from bread and beer to insulin production and genetic manipulation. I am not a mycologist nor a geneticist so the chapter "Frankenyeast: Cells" was a bit over my head with the discussion of the cell and genetic transcription. That being said, I believe the author did a great job making the complexities of the micro-fungus tangible; and I truly appreciate the flow of the writing as well as the diagrams and photo placements for more digestibility of the book.

[Noel Cisneros]

Un recorrido por el vínculo entre los seres humanos y la levadura, de los organismos que hemos domesticado uno de los más extraños. Ese hongo que lo mismo nos permite comer pan que beber cerveza, así como producir etanol para combustibles verdes. Money hace una historia de esta levadura, pero también de otras levaduras y su papel en el desarrollo de la ciencia microbiológica y de edición genética. Me llamó la atención la postura esperanzadora con respecto a la producción de biocombustibles a partir de levaduras, una visión que plantea el mantenimiento del status quo frente al cambio climático.

[Murinius · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not going to make a full review of this, but I learned a lot about the habits of yeasts! I had no idea that yeasts could be defensive or predatory or that through chemical processes they could poison their competitors for food. Or that yeasts inhabited the atmosphere and may have a role in the formation of raindrops. It was also fun to read about auto-brewery syndrome, which I briefly read about when it was in the news, and the guy who gave himself fungemia--a fungal blood infection, in this case specifically an infection by yeast--because he had been eating too much brewer's yeast, which remains alive even though it has been dessicated.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot more scientific and chemistry related information than I expected. That's not a bad thing necessarily as it would make the book appeal to a broader range of readers. I was looking more for the sociological side of the evolution of civilization. Most of the theories I've come across were based on the idea that cooking was the catalyst for communities so it was nice to see a different side to the story.

[Duane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saccharomyces is a fungus that converts simple sugars into CO2 and ethanol and energy. We depend on this yeast/fungus for bread, beer, wine, and more recently for the manufacture of medicials like insulin. And we share a slew of identical genes with yeast, even though we are separated by billions of years in evolution. The book talks about other yeasts in the wild, yeasts as diseases, and the future uses of yeast. Interesting read. Don't be scared off by the science.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief and broad coverage of Brewer's yeast, and its associated cousins. A little scientific background is probably helpful for some of the more jargon-filled chapters. The author includes some interesting historical asides, and has produced a solid primer on an overlooked scientific and cultural topic.

[Rebekah Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seems like the author might have been a bit confused about his target audience. The title led me to believe the book was going to focus mostly on history and culture. The content ended up being rather science heavy, not what I was hoping for. I would have been cool with ethnobotany, but was a bit disappointed to be thrown straight biology.

[Corina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really did not expect to like this book as much as I do! Blown away. Need to read it again as there is so much I didn't fully absorb while listening to it in the car. I don't recommend getting it on Audible though... the narrators voice is the least exciting voice ever and practically sends you to sleep. I nearly missed really important parts of the book because of that voice!

[Mark A. Vierthaler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent pop-science view of Yeast - How it's shaped our lives and our cultures. Some have been critical of it not being much of a cultural history, but more of a scientific history - which is a fair complaint. But, well written and easily understandable (so long as you have some earlier understanding of yeast and biology).

[Matt Easton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book is a fun interesting read on how yeast has shaped our culinary world through wine beer and bread, very fun totally enjoyed the first 70 pages or so. Then it got really into the details of the biology and chemistry of yeast and to be honest a lot went right over my head. Still a good read would recommend to a food-science nerd for sure.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The humor of the author is enjoyable, the subject kinda interesting, I'm sure this would appeal to many scientists or others who are in to chemistry or biology. I know I didn't understand most of it, but that wasn't the author's fault.

[Sunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

General science book on yeast

Enjoyed the chapters on yeast for drink, food, and diseases.
Particularly, enjoyed long co-history of human and yeast.
However, some of the hypotheses regarding impact of yeast (or yeast produced alcohol) on human evolution were hard to accept.

[Tonya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed parts of this book, and really hated others. I liked the parts about the history of yeast, but when it got into technical chemical details about different strains of yeast... no. I struggled to finish this one, but it was interesting.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the historical parts but got a little confused with the in-depth science in the second part. I think if I already knew more about fungus I would have had an easily time with it. Still full of great facts, and Money is an engaging author.

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rise of Yeast is a neat little book that celebrates how this fungal workhorse has powered human civilisation. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2018...

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it but you could make this book twice as good by including more biology of yeast. Especially since the author is a biologist. I know I can open wikipedia but it's not like adding a couple more pages with a few diagrams wouldn't fit within the covers.