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joshuamt's review against another edition
5.0
Very easy to read primer to ease into more detailed reading on viruses. Examines briefly both at the science and societal interactions.
seneca6891's review against another edition
2.0
A really accessible and informative survey of common viruses for non-specialists. I think I was looking for something with a bit more depth.
chairmanbernanke's review against another edition
3.0
A good short introduction to viruses and their role in society
dimayj's review against another edition
3.0
This book presents a collection of essays by Carl Zimmer, most of which were written as part of the "World of Viruses" project to help general readers understand more about viruses and virology. It was funded by the US National Centre for Research Resources at the NIH.
The book consists of an introduction, 4 main sections and an epilogue. The author starts the book by explaining the discovery of viruses and how knowledge about their existence came about via investigating "tobacco mosaic disease". In the first section, the author covers rhinoviruses (which cause the common cold), influenza, and human papillomavirus (HPV). He explains how HPV causes tumours in different species and how this relates to evolution. The second section covers bacteriophages, marine viruses, endogenous retroviruses (which insert their genes into the host genome), and viruses' role in evolution, "shuttling genes", and the formation of the placenta. The third part covers HIV (including its origins and evolution) and how mosquito-borne viruses, such as the West Nile virus, arrived in the Americas. There's a chapter that touches on the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic and a little bit about the SARS and MERS outbreaks. The last chapter reviews smallpox, history of its prevention through variolation and Edward Jenner's cowpox-based vaccination, and the WHO-led global eradication campaign. In the Epilogue, the author talks about giant viruses such as mimivirus, virophages (viruses that infect giant viruses), and viruses' relation to cellular life and the beginning of life on earth. At the end of the book, there's a list of selected references.
In my opinion, the book is too brief, is overly simplified, and lacks depth. However, it is certainly informative and provides a good list of references for further reading. It would suit readers who are looking for a simple and non-technical collection of introductory essays about a variety of viruses and their role in life, evolution, and disease.
The book consists of an introduction, 4 main sections and an epilogue. The author starts the book by explaining the discovery of viruses and how knowledge about their existence came about via investigating "tobacco mosaic disease". In the first section, the author covers rhinoviruses (which cause the common cold), influenza, and human papillomavirus (HPV). He explains how HPV causes tumours in different species and how this relates to evolution. The second section covers bacteriophages, marine viruses, endogenous retroviruses (which insert their genes into the host genome), and viruses' role in evolution, "shuttling genes", and the formation of the placenta. The third part covers HIV (including its origins and evolution) and how mosquito-borne viruses, such as the West Nile virus, arrived in the Americas. There's a chapter that touches on the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic and a little bit about the SARS and MERS outbreaks. The last chapter reviews smallpox, history of its prevention through variolation and Edward Jenner's cowpox-based vaccination, and the WHO-led global eradication campaign. In the Epilogue, the author talks about giant viruses such as mimivirus, virophages (viruses that infect giant viruses), and viruses' relation to cellular life and the beginning of life on earth. At the end of the book, there's a list of selected references.
In my opinion, the book is too brief, is overly simplified, and lacks depth. However, it is certainly informative and provides a good list of references for further reading. It would suit readers who are looking for a simple and non-technical collection of introductory essays about a variety of viruses and their role in life, evolution, and disease.
itsdanbooks's review against another edition
5.0
One of the golden rules about books is that "you should never judge a book by its' cover" (I actually really like it), but I think there should be companion rule -- Don't judge a book by its' page count.
I really think Zimmer has truly done something wonderful with this book and has done it in only 132 pages.
Zimmer opens the book by talking about the Tobacco Mosaic Virus -- this was a virus that was discovered since the crops of farmers were being killed, but was not the result of pests or bacterial infections. This effectively served as the birth of virology when a "contagious living fluid" was isolated.
He also goes into details about the viruses such as rhinoviruses (the common cold), human papillomavirus, retroviruses, HIV, smallpox and West Nile virus -- but also discussing what separates the harmful viruses from the harmless viruses, the dangerous and the deadly.
The history of viruses is also discussed as Zimmer discusses the "everywhereness" (term made up by me, not Zimmer) of viruses -- how viruses have existed longer than humans have, exist in environments that should be inhospitable and environments that will be inaccessible to humans, such as marine phages and the importance of bacteriophages.
This was all done in a way that was easily approachable for readers; you don't need to remember a thing from your high school biology class to appreciate the lessons that you'll learn in "A Planet of Viruses"
Don't let the size of this book fool you, despite it's small size and short page count, it's dense with information. I can safely say without question that this was one of my favorite books that I read in 2021 -- I liked it so much, that I finished it in less than 24 hours!
I really think Zimmer has truly done something wonderful with this book and has done it in only 132 pages.
Zimmer opens the book by talking about the Tobacco Mosaic Virus -- this was a virus that was discovered since the crops of farmers were being killed, but was not the result of pests or bacterial infections. This effectively served as the birth of virology when a "contagious living fluid" was isolated.
He also goes into details about the viruses such as rhinoviruses (the common cold), human papillomavirus, retroviruses, HIV, smallpox and West Nile virus -- but also discussing what separates the harmful viruses from the harmless viruses, the dangerous and the deadly.
The history of viruses is also discussed as Zimmer discusses the "everywhereness" (term made up by me, not Zimmer) of viruses -- how viruses have existed longer than humans have, exist in environments that should be inhospitable and environments that will be inaccessible to humans, such as marine phages and the importance of bacteriophages.
This was all done in a way that was easily approachable for readers; you don't need to remember a thing from your high school biology class to appreciate the lessons that you'll learn in "A Planet of Viruses"
Don't let the size of this book fool you, despite it's small size and short page count, it's dense with information. I can safely say without question that this was one of my favorite books that I read in 2021 -- I liked it so much, that I finished it in less than 24 hours!
anishaaa's review against another edition
3.0
A nice, informative, short read! I like the short little essays, they make this easy to digest for a layperson. It has a good balance of information on biology and epidemiology, which makes most of the essays engaging. I work with some of these viruses everyday, and it was nice to get a big picture of their histories and symptoms.
The essay on WNV had many typos and grammatical errors, like it had not been edited--this one was a little difficult to read. Minus one star for this.
The essay on WNV had many typos and grammatical errors, like it had not been edited--this one was a little difficult to read. Minus one star for this.