Guardian Review
Viruses are everywhere: scientists have found them under Antarctic ice; they lurk inside your lungs which until recently were believed to be sterile; and seawater, which was once thought to contain very few, has now been found to be teeming with viruses. In fact, they outnumber all other residents of the ocean by 15 to 1. Even the human genome contains genes that came from viruses which infected our ancestors some 30m years ago, an idea that Zimmer describes as "almost philosophical in its weirdness". In this succinct yet elegantly written survey, he explores the vital role viruses play in the evolution of life on Earth and how scientists have begun to reveal their often deadly secrets. Smallpox - the only human virus to have been eradicated - killed an astonishing 500m people every century in Europe between 1400 and 1800. From the common cold, first described 3,500 years ago by the Egyptians, to a new type of giant virus discovered in a Bradford water-cooler that mimics bacteria, this book is a fascinating and enlightening introduction. - PD Smith Viruses are everywhere: scientists have found them under Antarctic ice; they lurk inside your lungs which until recently were believed to be sterile; and seawater, which was once thought to contain very few, has now been found to be teeming with viruses. In fact, they outnumber all other residents of the ocean by 15 to 1. - PD Smith.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The effects of viruses have been known since time immemorial, thanks to the common cold, the flu, and smallpox. But when viruses were physically discovered in the late nineteenth century, it was by elimination; that is, something was discovered that caused disease but wasn't animal, plant, fungus, or bacterium. The electron microscope finally made that something visible, and its basic mechanisms were ascertained by 1950. What has been discovered about viruses since, however, dwarfs all that previous virological knowledge. For viruses are everywhere, and a recurring motif of Zimmer's information-packed, superbly readable, brief essays is the assay of a substance seawater, human sputum, subterranean warm water segregated for hundreds of thousands of years from the biology of the rest of the world thought to be relatively or positively pure finds it crawling with viruses. Obviously, not all viruses kill or even sicken. In fact, it's not so much a matter of perforce having to live with viruses as not being able to live without them, and not just because they're so tiny, ubiquitous, and numerous but also because they help produce the oxygen we breathe and because some of them disable bacteria toxic to us among other vital things. Absolutely top-drawer popular-science writing.--Olson, Ra. Copyright 2010 Booklist
Choice Review
Although most everyone is familiar with the word "viruses," few people are aware of the major role they play as powerful agents of change on Earth. Zimmer (Yale Univ.; The Tangled Bank, CH, Jul'10, 47-6234; Microcosm, CH, Sep'08, 46-0275) presents an intriguing journey into the world of viruses, providing a fascinating historical perspective. The author also provides a fresh look into their evolution, therapeutic value to medical science, strategies for successful disease transmission, importance in the marine environment in keeping waterborne diseases in check, and involvement in tumor formation and cancers. A collection of 11 short essays are grouped under three headings: "Old Companions," "Everywhere, in All Things," and "The Viral Future.. The epilogue focuses on mimiviruses, recently discovered viruses with large genomes, implicated in cases of pneumonia. The photographs add dimension to the text; the selected references and index are user-friendly. The writing is clear, and the scientific information is communicated in a perceptive, compelling narrative. This is an insightful book that serves as an excellent resource for understanding viruses and their relationship to humans. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. D. C. Anderson Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
