The article "A Symbiotic View of Life: We Have Never Been Individuals" by Scott F. Gilbert, Jan Sapp, and Alfred I. Tauber challenges the traditional notion of the "biological individual" in biology. It argues that animals and plants are not individuals in the classical sense but are complex, multispecies complexes known as "holobionts," which include both the host organism and its diverse community of symbiotic microorganisms. The authors highlight how these symbioses disrupt the boundaries of the biological individual, affecting anatomy, development, physiology, immunology, and evolution. They discuss how symbionts play crucial roles in metabolic pathways, development, genetic inheritance, and immune system function. The article also explores the implications of this new perspective for biology, medicine, and conservation, emphasizing the importance of understanding the complex relationships between hosts and their microbial symbionts. The authors conclude that the holobiont, with its integrated community of species, is a unit of natural selection, challenging traditional views of individuality and opening up new avenues for research and understanding.The article "A Symbiotic View of Life: We Have Never Been Individuals" by Scott F. Gilbert, Jan Sapp, and Alfred I. Tauber challenges the traditional notion of the "biological individual" in biology. It argues that animals and plants are not individuals in the classical sense but are complex, multispecies complexes known as "holobionts," which include both the host organism and its diverse community of symbiotic microorganisms. The authors highlight how these symbioses disrupt the boundaries of the biological individual, affecting anatomy, development, physiology, immunology, and evolution. They discuss how symbionts play crucial roles in metabolic pathways, development, genetic inheritance, and immune system function. The article also explores the implications of this new perspective for biology, medicine, and conservation, emphasizing the importance of understanding the complex relationships between hosts and their microbial symbionts. The authors conclude that the holobiont, with its integrated community of species, is a unit of natural selection, challenging traditional views of individuality and opening up new avenues for research and understanding.