Preserving the Microbial Commons

This article outlines an interdisciplinary research project emerging from biomolecular archaeology interested in the prehistoric spread of dairying in Mongolia, Europe, and the Near East. By comparing the microbes present in ancient and contemporary dairy products, the Heirloom Microbes project is in conversation with two of the most exciting fields of science to the general public: ancient DNA (aDNA)—which promises a new science of history through genomics—and microbiome research—which promises new treatments to some of the most mysterious ailments of industrialized populations. In this encounter the politics of life itself meets the politics of history itself, as I will show through a detailed ethnography of contemporary peasant dairying practices in Switzerland and a discussion of the microbial bioprospecting underway among hunter-gatherer groups like the Hadza of East Africa. Contrary to imaginations of revolutionary ruptures and “missing microbes” prevalent in ancient DNA and microbiome research, I argue for the continuous reproduction of human-microbe relations in millions of multispecies peasant fermentation collectives in most of the world. These microbial commons have to be protected from attempts of patenting and commodification through the collective efforts of scientists and small-scale producers.