The rapid pace at which genomics research is churning out new information about the genetic make-up of organisms makes it almost impossible for any author to capture the potential applications of these technologies for the benefit of humanity. The authors could thus be excused for the strong bias of this book towards medical sciences with a single chapter dedicated to crops. Nonetheless, it gives an excellent portrayal of the use of new generation sequencing technologies in elucidating genomes of microbes as well their human hosts and how this knowledge is being used in personalized health care. With such knowledge, potential efficacy or toxicity of drugs can be predicted for patients and appropriate vaccines developed for different human races taking into consideration population structure and allelic frequencies of genes involved in the response pathways for the specific drug treatments. In the area of metagenomics, microbial, organismal and genetic diversity associated with humans is captured and this can, for instance, shed light on how our diets affect gut microbiota population diversity and how these microbes contribute towards our physiology, health or disease response. Genomics applications to understand the effects of human activity, such as agriculture, on the diversity of complex biomes and how this knowledge can be used to promote sustainable practices is also presented. The authors rightly point out that most developing countries lack the infrastructural and human capacities to undertake advanced genomics research and that North–South and South–South collaboration should be promoted. Finally, the importance of including genomics in education curricula is emphasized. This book is highly recommended for both students and practitioners of the life sciences.