Difference between revisions of "A Planet of Viruses"
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| − | '''''A Planet of Viruses''''' is a popular science book about viruses written by [[Carl Zimmer]] and published on 2011-09-15. | + | '''''A Planet of Viruses''''' is a short popular science book about viruses written by [[Carl Zimmer]] and published on 2011-09-15. |
| + | |||
| + | The book describes how scientists first discovered viruses, the big steps in their understanding of viruses over time, and how they're learning to keep us safe against the new threats that keep evolving. | ||
==Personal== | ==Personal== | ||
{{BookStatus | {{BookStatus | ||
| Own = | | Own = | ||
| − | | Read = Audiobook | + | | Read = Audiobook read by [[Stephen Bowlby]]. |
| Finished = 2024-05-02. | | Finished = 2024-05-02. | ||
}} | }} | ||
| − | I | + | I was really impressed by Carl Zimmer's book, ''[[Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea]]'', so I went looking for other books written by him. Being fascinated with viruses, this one caught my eye, so I was eager to read it. |
==Review== | ==Review== | ||
| Line 17: | Line 19: | ||
===Bad=== | ===Bad=== | ||
| + | * Due to it's short length, the book isn't able to delve deep on any topic. | ||
===Ugly=== | ===Ugly=== | ||
Revision as of 09:26, 3 May 2024
A Planet of Viruses is a short popular science book about viruses written by Carl Zimmer and published on 2011-09-15.
The book describes how scientists first discovered viruses, the big steps in their understanding of viruses over time, and how they're learning to keep us safe against the new threats that keep evolving.
Personal
| Own? | No. |
|---|---|
| Read? | Audiobook read by Stephen Bowlby. |
| Finished | 2024-05-02. |
I was really impressed by Carl Zimmer's book, Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea, so I went looking for other books written by him. Being fascinated with viruses, this one caught my eye, so I was eager to read it.
Review
Good
- Zimmer begins the book with a brief history of viruses which was quite interesting. Although humans have know about the effects of viruses for thousands of years, we didn't even begin to know viruses existed until the early 1900s.
- He describes how mutations add to the complexity of viruses. For example, people once thought influenza was a single disease, but we now understand it to be a family of hundreds of strains each with several sub-variants.
- Subsequent editions add information about the latest viruses like MERS-CoV (MERS) and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).
Bad
- Due to it's short length, the book isn't able to delve deep on any topic.
Ugly
Media
Covers
Hardcover - USA - 1st edition.
Paperback - USA - 2nd edition.
Paperback - USA - 3rd edition.
Links
