Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life

Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life is a 2008 book by popular science writer Carl Zimmer. The book presents an overview of genetics research and genetic engineering by telling the story about the Escherichia coli (E. coli) family of bacteria.

E. coli has been a popular organism to study for researchers since its discovery in 1885. The K-12 strain of E. coli got its genome mapped in 1997.