The End of October

by Lawrence Wright

For Henry, the most surprising feature of viruses was that they were a guiding force behind evolution. If the infected organism survived, it sometimes retained a portion of the viral material in its own genome. The legacy of ancient infections might be found in as much as 8 percent of the human genome, including the genes that controlled memory formation, the immune system, and cognitive development. We wouldn’t be who we are without them.

Carelessness was an underestimated threat to civilization.

The thing is, this one is novel. We’ve never seen it before. It doesn’t correspond to any historic strain. And that’s a real problem, because there is no built-up immunity in the general population.”

“Reverence for Life affords me my fundamental principle of morality, namely, that good consists in maintaining, assisting and enhancing life, and that to destroy, to harm or to hinder life is evil.”