A planet of viruses / Carl Zimmer.
| Author/creator |
Zimmer, Carl, 1966- author. |
| Format | Book and Print |
| Edition | Second edition. |
| Publication Info | Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, [2015] |
| Description | x, 122 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 22 cm |
| Subject(s) |
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| Contents | Foreword / by Judy Diamond and Charles Wood -- Introduction: "A contagious living fluid" : tobacco mosaic virus and the discovery of the virosphere -- Old companions. The uncommon cold : how rhinoviruses gently conquered the world ; Looking down from the stars : influenza's never-ending reinvention ; Rabbits with horns : human papillomavirus and infectious cancer -- Everywhere, in all things. The enemy of our enemy : bacteriophages as viral medicine ; The infected ocean : how marine phages rule the sea ; Our inner parasites : endogenous retroviruses and our virus-riddled genomes -- The viral future. The young scourge : human immunodeficiency virus and the animal origins of diseases ; Becoming an American : the globalization of West Nile virus ; Predicting the next plague : Ebola virus and the many others like it ; The long goodbye : the delayed oblivion of smallpox -- Epilogue: The alien in the water cooler : giant viruses and the definition of life. |
| Abstract | Viruses are the smallest living things known to science, yet they hold the entire planet in their sway. They helped give rise to the first life-forms, are responsible for many of our most devastating diseases, and will continue to control our fate for centuries. Carl Zimmer, the popular science writer and New York Times columnist, takes us from the first record of the common cold to the latest frontiers of biology, where scientists are expanding our understanding of life as we know it. This revised edition includes stories of new outbreaks, such as Ebola, MERS, and chikungunya virus; new scientific discoveries, such as a hundred-million-year-old virus that infected the common ancestor of armadillos, elephants, and humans; and new findings that show why climate change may lead to even deadlier outbreaks. Zimmer's lucid explanations and intriguing stories demonstrate how deeply humans and viruses are intertwinede. As reassuring as it is frightening, Planet of Viruses is a fascinating tour of a formidable hidden world. -- from back cover. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| LCCN | 2015011313 |
| ISBN | 9780226294209 (pbk. ; alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 022629420X (pbk. ; alk. paper) |
| ISBN | (e-book) |
Available Items
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions | |
| Laupus | Popular Reading Collection | QW 160 Z721P 2015 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |