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A Planet of Viruses
by
Carl Zimmer (Goodreads Author)
Viruses are the smallest living things known to science, yet they hold the entire planet in their sway. We are most familiar with the viruses that give us colds or the flu, but viruses also cause a vast range of other diseases, including one disorder that makes people sprout branch-like growths as if they were trees. Viruses have been a part of our lives for so long, in fa...more
Hardcover, 122 pages
Published
September 15th 2011
by University Of Chicago Press
(first published January 1st 2011)
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“[Viruses are] biology’s living matrix.”
We share little in common with our forebears’ understanding of the universe. In ancient times the earth was ensconced by a dome or firmament which held back rain and other effusions from above. Drought and wetness were tangible indicators of the pantheon’s impression of earthly behavior, with a blue sky betokening the rain that lay just beyond the earth’s protective shell. For many of our ancestors, the stars influenced the health of those on earth; for ot...more
We share little in common with our forebears’ understanding of the universe. In ancient times the earth was ensconced by a dome or firmament which held back rain and other effusions from above. Drought and wetness were tangible indicators of the pantheon’s impression of earthly behavior, with a blue sky betokening the rain that lay just beyond the earth’s protective shell. For many of our ancestors, the stars influenced the health of those on earth; for ot...more
"The very word virus began as a contradiction. We inherited the word from the Roman Empire, where it meant, at once, the venom of a snake or the semen of a man. Creation and destruction in one word."
Good read about viruses written generally enough for non-scientists to follow. Conversely, I am a scientist and found this little book both interesting and informative, though there were parts that were a review. Another telling point: one of my close friends is a virologist, and he's the one that re...more
Good read about viruses written generally enough for non-scientists to follow. Conversely, I am a scientist and found this little book both interesting and informative, though there were parts that were a review. Another telling point: one of my close friends is a virologist, and he's the one that re...more
I liked reading this book, and I think so did many retroviruses I carry.
I've read a lot of Zimmer's blogs and magazine articles, and I've even seen him at a symposium, but this is the first of his books I've tackled. I like his work because he takes on difficult subjects and explains them to the masses in a very approachable format. I actually didn't expect this to be quite as short and easy a read as it was, but this was practically airplane reading – many short vignettes enabling easy stopping...more
I've read a lot of Zimmer's blogs and magazine articles, and I've even seen him at a symposium, but this is the first of his books I've tackled. I like his work because he takes on difficult subjects and explains them to the masses in a very approachable format. I actually didn't expect this to be quite as short and easy a read as it was, but this was practically airplane reading – many short vignettes enabling easy stopping...more
What a beautiful book-inside and out. It just makes me happy to hold it and flip through the thick colored pages. And then there is actually reading the enthralling non-fiction history of the virus.
The very origin of the word virus came from a combination of two meanings: The venom of a snake and the semen of a man. That makes the closing paragraph all the more beautiful: "At long last, we may be returning to the original two-sided sense of the word virus, which originally signified either a li...more
The very origin of the word virus came from a combination of two meanings: The venom of a snake and the semen of a man. That makes the closing paragraph all the more beautiful: "At long last, we may be returning to the original two-sided sense of the word virus, which originally signified either a li...more
A perfectly fine little introduction to the subject of viruses, but the back cover displayed some extremely hyperbolic blurbs by four or five heavy-hitters that each seemed, somehow, off the mark. I know Carl Zimmer is a "science writer's-science writer" but this book wasn't deserving of that zeal ("gripping," "funny," "graced with poetic touches"). I suspect Skloot, Preston, Brand, and Weiner were praising his body of work and less this particular pamphlet, which read to me like a work-for-hire...more
This is a slender volume that gives you quite a bit of easily accessible information about viruses. Each chapter tells the tale of a different virus in a fascinating way. Profiled are: rhinovirus (common cold), influenza virus, human papillomavirus, bacteriophages (viruses that "eat" bacteria), marine phages (viruses in the ocean), endogenous retroviruses (viruses that survive by inserting themselves into the host's DNA, some going back thousands of years), HIV, West Nile virus, SARS and Ebola,...more
This is my first foray into the writings of Carl Zimmer. Given its extreme brevity (because it's actually a collection of essays), I know that it's not necessarily representative of his other books which, based on this one, I'm looking forward to checking out. Three stars only because it's a solid and edifying treatment of a somewhat arcane subject, not some kind of action thriller.
"A Planet of Viruses" is a whirlwind review of what viruses are, how they were first isolated as pathogens by 19th...more
"A Planet of Viruses" is a whirlwind review of what viruses are, how they were first isolated as pathogens by 19th...more
May 21, 2012
Lis Carey
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
popular-science
This slim volume is an excellent and highly readable introduction to the subject of viruses for the interested layperson. Written as a series of essays for the Science Education Partnership Award, to help support outreach to students, it covers in compact form an amazing array of basic information about what viruses are, how they affect our lives for good and ill, and the important role they have played in the evolution of life.
Viruses are the smallest life form there is, and there is even dispu...more
Viruses are the smallest life form there is, and there is even dispu...more
A "Planet of Viruses" is a good book if you have a basic knowledge of biology but want to know more about viruses. The author covers a wide range of different viruses including the Rhinovirus, Influenza, HPV, Bacteriophages, HIV, West Nile, SARS, Ebola, Smallpox, and Mimiviruses.
While I was familiar with the mechanisms of some, I learned a little about all of them. Particularly interesting was the mechanism of HPV and other papilloma viruses and Mimiviruses. Papilloma viruses, for example, cause...more
While I was familiar with the mechanisms of some, I learned a little about all of them. Particularly interesting was the mechanism of HPV and other papilloma viruses and Mimiviruses. Papilloma viruses, for example, cause...more
They're everywhere, they're everywhere! So learn to accept the fact and by the way - go easy on the hand sanitizer, since by trying to bypass them, you may be doing yourself more harm than good.
Mr. Zimmer explains how viruses helped give rise to the Earth's first lifeforms, and how they've impacted us ever since. He also gives a detective-like history lesson on some of the most widely known and feared viruses: West Nile, Ebola, Influenza and more.
The book is concisely written (94 pages) and ac...more
Mr. Zimmer explains how viruses helped give rise to the Earth's first lifeforms, and how they've impacted us ever since. He also gives a detective-like history lesson on some of the most widely known and feared viruses: West Nile, Ebola, Influenza and more.
The book is concisely written (94 pages) and ac...more
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A very interesting look at the various viruses (the cold, the flu, HPV, HIV, smallpox, etc.) that have impacted humanity along with other chapters detailing how viruses are actually beneficial to us (the placenta wouldn't work without them) and to the world (responsible for tons of our oxygen) at large. The book is very short (less than 100 pages) but I think that works in its favor. Each chapter is concise, to the point, and doesn't overstay its welcome. I learned quite a bit (perhaps finding a...more
An enjoyable, if way too short, overview of viruses and the world they have helped to make. I learned some things, reviewed some others, and renewed my liking for Zimmer's clean, clear prose. It's a good introduction but will leave the virus aficionado hungry for more. Read Parasite Rex or Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life for a better idea of Zimmer's talents as a pop-sci writer.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
A good intro for learning about viruses -- if you really want to know about all the viruses that use your body as a host, or the ways in which they have influenced our own evolution. The bit about the placenta was a revelation to me.
Some of the best parts are the historical moments when researchers first tried to understand what viruses were, before they could even see them. There were some crazy experiments in our past, but sometimes the best lessons come from insanity.
Also of interest: how we...more
Some of the best parts are the historical moments when researchers first tried to understand what viruses were, before they could even see them. There were some crazy experiments in our past, but sometimes the best lessons come from insanity.
Also of interest: how we...more
This is a pretty good book to get an overview of what viruses are and the very important role they play in the world. While many viruses are bad and need to be fought, there are many others that are benign, and in some cases needed for life in the world to survive. And then, there are all those viruses we carry as part of our genetic makeup. Zimmer has a gift for taking complex scientific ideas and making them very accessible to lay readers. I think if you want a good science book to read, but a...more
A very interesting read. Although I know absolutely nothing of this subject matter, it was relatively easy to understand. My favourite chapter was on the human rhinovirus (common cold). Who knew that it’s actually not the virus that makes us feel sick, the immune cells released to fight the virus, makes us feel horrible. I was also fascinated by the chapter on bacteriophages. These live viruses can be injected to (very effectively) fight and kill other viruses. We may be hearing more about this...more
Review: A Planet of Viruses by Carl Zimmer
(Quotes in italics are from the book being reviewed. Apologies for failed attempts to post photos!)
This book runs across the surface of what most of us don’t know and could never have imagined about viruses. Did you know, for example, that marine viruses are “dynamic players in the ecology of earth,” controlling even climate to a vast extent?
Viruses affect every species: from bacteria invisible to the eye, to the largest mammals. They regulate vast popu...more
(Quotes in italics are from the book being reviewed. Apologies for failed attempts to post photos!)
This book runs across the surface of what most of us don’t know and could never have imagined about viruses. Did you know, for example, that marine viruses are “dynamic players in the ecology of earth,” controlling even climate to a vast extent?
Viruses affect every species: from bacteria invisible to the eye, to the largest mammals. They regulate vast popu...more
The striking cover caught my eye from the New shelf, but I was going to resist because this is the summer of reading what I already have. And then Veronica saw it, and handed it to me, pointing out that this was a book for me.
So I went home and gobbled it up like Pringles. Nom. Zimmer gives straightforward, almost personality-less reporting on various virus topics. I don't mean that in a bad way at all. As much as I love Mary Roach and am amused by her, sometimes I just want the facts. I haven't...more
So I went home and gobbled it up like Pringles. Nom. Zimmer gives straightforward, almost personality-less reporting on various virus topics. I don't mean that in a bad way at all. As much as I love Mary Roach and am amused by her, sometimes I just want the facts. I haven't...more
7 likes · like · see review
The Carl Zimmer books I've read get smaller and smaller. First I read Parasite Rex, which as the name suggests, was about parasites. It was a Copernican attempt to remove animals like humans from the center of the biological universe by showing how badly numbered our large multicellular kind are outnumbered by parasites. Then I read Microcosm which was all about e Coli.
Now A Planet of Viruses is smaller in three respects. First, it is about viruses which are tiny compared to parasites and e Coli...more
Now A Planet of Viruses is smaller in three respects. First, it is about viruses which are tiny compared to parasites and e Coli...more
It reads like a very well done Wikipedia article--informative and interesting, but also brief and ultimately unsatisfying. The most fascinating part is when the writer says our genes are 8% virus, and that we are in essence a mix of virus and mammal. As with a Wiki article, much follow-up reading will be needed.
Also, I read this book alongside "Guns, Germs & Steel," and--I could be wrong, but--some of the material seemed to raise questions about the "germs" part of Diamond's hypothesis. I'd...more
Also, I read this book alongside "Guns, Germs & Steel," and--I could be wrong, but--some of the material seemed to raise questions about the "germs" part of Diamond's hypothesis. I'd...more
This book is packed full of facts about viruses.
It surveys history of our knowledge of viruses, and details a few prominent pathogens.
As popular science books go, this is a good source uncommon knowledge. :)
Being such a short book, it necessarily avoids going into much bio-chemical detail.
A few times, this left me screaming "what chemical marker???!!!" or "how did they discover it???!!!", but that's how I react to most popular science books...
I was shocked and offended when the author called the...more
It surveys history of our knowledge of viruses, and details a few prominent pathogens.
As popular science books go, this is a good source uncommon knowledge. :)
Being such a short book, it necessarily avoids going into much bio-chemical detail.
A few times, this left me screaming "what chemical marker???!!!" or "how did they discover it???!!!", but that's how I react to most popular science books...
I was shocked and offended when the author called the...more
A Planet of Viruses is well organized into a fascinating set of short essays. I learned that viruses apparently form the basis of evolution, and they are constantly mutating. They are the most abundant of organisms on the planet, and while some are harmful, others are responsible for our vary survival. And there is more. All in all, this book provides important insights into the world of viruses and their impact on us. It's well worth the read.
An excellent introduction to the world of viruses. A collection of 12 essays by the author from the well known (rhino viruses, smallpox, HPV, HIV, West Nile) to the obscure and unusual (tobacco mosaic virus, marine phages). The essay style makes it easy to read with concise topics in short form and they are written for the reading public. I recommend it if you want a brief reading foray into viruses, especially those that plague us today.
Another little gem of a book by that most lucid of science writers Carl Zimmer. It is a short little book which is aimed towards people who don't know much about the world of viruses that we share. Each little chapter talks about one of the most important viruses and builds an overall narrative. A good review of the book can be found at the following location:
http://boingboing.net/2011/04/27/read...
Srini
http://boingboing.net/2011/04/27/read...
Srini
For people with little background in the understanding of viruses this little (barely 100 pages long) book does a good job of introducing their importance. The choice of which viruses to profile was also good. As a microbiologist, I found little new information although I did enjoy the historical perspective the author included in each discussion. There were more proofreading type errors than expected which was a little disconcerting.
A really good starting point for anyone interested in learning more about viruses and their effects on human biology and social structures. Zimmer writes in a really clear, accessible manner that provides an enjoyable reading experience even for those without a strong science background. I really enjoyed reading it and would highly recommend it to anyone (especially to anyone who has little interest in viruses; it would be a real eye opening experience
I'm not going to rate this because I had to return it to the library before I got through the second chapter. I liked what I read though.
Heard an interview on Science Friday with the author that was very intriguing. Especially the part about viruses infecting sperm or eggs and passing on their DNA to the hosts descendants. That just freaks me right out. Apparently there are more virus genes than human genes in our DNA.
Heard an interview on Science Friday with the author that was very intriguing. Especially the part about viruses infecting sperm or eggs and passing on their DNA to the hosts descendants. That just freaks me right out. Apparently there are more virus genes than human genes in our DNA.
I am a closet science geek and could not resist reading this as soon as I got my hands on it even though I am in the middle of another book.
The chapter on endogenous retrovirus went completely over my head but the rest of the book was easily understood. It discusses a wide range of viruses, from the common cold right to HIV, SARS and Ebola. This was a quick, informative and interesting read.
The chapter on endogenous retrovirus went completely over my head but the rest of the book was easily understood. It discusses a wide range of viruses, from the common cold right to HIV, SARS and Ebola. This was a quick, informative and interesting read.
I'm kind of a Carl Zimmer-Fanboy and his writing in this one is great. While I've not learnt that much that was new to me about viruses, he presents some nice stories and shares basic knowledge about some nasty and helpful viruses. But although I really like authors that know the concept of brevity I think this book is just too short. Feels more like a collection of essays (just as Zimmers "brain cuttings"), not like a book.
This is a very short book that provides a brief overview of what a virus is and a history of some of the important viruses that have affected humanity. Written in 2010, it provides new information on the ongoing debate as to whether viruses are alive or not. It also notes that many of the parts of our human genome contain parts of viruses, implying that we evolved with viruses over time.
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Carl Zimmer is an award-winning science writer. He writes regularly for the New York Times and is the author of several books, including Parasite Rex, Soul Made Flesh, and A Planet of Viruses.
More about Carl Zimmer...
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Feb 07, 2013 08:26pm
Thanks for the comment!
Feb 07, 2013 08:30pm