Only 1% of the things in our body make us human.  Doug Chadwick is a wildlife biologist, author, and frequent National Geographic contributor. During his 35 year affiliation with National Geographic, he's offered in-depth coverage of wolverines, grizzly bears, and whales, to name a few.   Now Chadwick has a new mission; he wants us to think differently about how humans mesh with nature.  It all comes down to the fact that only 1% of the things in our body make us human. 99% of our genetic make-up is the same as a chimpanzee or a bonobo.  Further, we share 80-85% of our genes with most mammals?   Or even more, mind-numbing, "You are 23% a wine grape." says Chadwick, "You're also 7% a bacteria," Chadwick says, "Every critter out there above the level of a bacterium is a joint partnership."  It's an enlightening perspective that could cause us to look at the Earth and our [human] impact on the Earth differently. Four Fifths a Grizzly Chadwick breaks down the science of this thinking his new book, "Four Fifths a Grizzly: A New Perspective on Nature that Just Might Save Us All"  The prolific writer calls it the hardest thing he ever wrote. But it's a critical perspective that he hopes science teachers worldwide will take into consideration. "I feel like a bit of a fraud telling science teachers how to teach," he says. Chadwick is admittedly not an educator. At least not in the traditional sense.  But for him, it all started when he looked through a microscope when he was about 7 or 8 years old.  "I realized that there is wonder everywhere, and the harder you look, the more you find," he says. "The overwhelming majority of life on earth is invisible."   "You shouldn't be able to get through a high school biology class without understanding a heck of a lot more about who you are," says Chadwick.  "I think a great majority of people out there think that when I say microbes, bacteria, they think that's germs. There's a negative connotation to it."  Chadwick says that we need to embrace what science has been telling us about these connections since the 1970s, which is that we're all the same. To hear more of Chadwick's interview and find out what question he would start science class with, listen to Episode 193 of Class Dismissed.  You can listen to the latest episode of Class Dismissed on your favorite podcast app or iTunes. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017-2021