Gaia: a planet dominated by bacteria -- Me, myself and my microbiota -- Bovine belches as an alternative source of energy -- The secret life of fungi -- Obesity costs you a kidney -- Science and its keys to living a longer life -- Hansel and Gretel: a trail of breadcrumbs to addiction -- The global opioid crisis: two sides of the same coin -- The strange case of the mutations of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde -- Sex, pain and evolution. The many faces of the dice -- Flies are not keen on wasabi -- Cajal's stomach cramps -- Glia. Squires of the nervous system -- CRISPR-Cas: DNA Photoshop -- Spinach for glass bones: Popeye kids -- Olive oil: more than a salad dressing.

Research data sharing has traditionally been addressed to other peer researchers. Nowadays there is general awareness that putting research at the disposal of society is beneficial and necessary. However, the popularization of science is a hard endeavor. It must deal with transmission of transcendental knowledge with the appealing adornment of a good story, but avoiding the risk of falling into banality. This book consists in a series of individual stories delving into the world of biology and medicine. Some topics included in this volume consist in the explanation of basic biological concepts like the origin of modern eukaryotic cells, the importance of mutations as the driving force behind evolution, the molecular ins and outs of the nervous system, or the relevance of microorganisms to humans and science including food and energy industries. Others rather lean to a more biomedical perspective and constitute popular cases that have been, to some extent, trending in global media outlets: the divulgation of some current under-reckoned non-infectious pandemics like obesity and chronic pain, the presence of longer-living populations around the world named blue zones, the American (and African) opioid crisis, or the discovery and development of CRISPR-Cas as a promising genetic editing tool. All chapters are depicted with accompanying illustrations thoroughly elaborated by professionals of Fine Arts to make it easier to understand for the non-experts... but may perhaps also proof that the scientific method and multidisciplinary work are not unique to natural sciences, but also shared by other apparently distant disciplines like arts.