“A Planet of Viruses”, Third Edition, by Carl Zimmer, illustrations by Ian Schoenherr

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Rating: 4/5 Stars

A short but fascinating book on viruses, by a science writer with the art of making complex subjects easy to understand. It is divided into several sections, each containing essays on an aspect of viruses in general.

The introduction looks at the history of viruses with the discovery of the first virus known to man, the Tobacco Mosaic Virus. Initially though to be a contagious fluid, and then living protein, it is only when technology got good enough that viruses could be seen, as packets of RNA or DNA contained in a protein capsule.

The first section looks at viruses that have been ‘companions’ of mankind for a long time: the Rhinoviruses (which causes the Common Cold), Influenza and Papillomavirus. He explains how they invade and take over our cells, causing the cold, the flu and even cancerous tumours.

Next, he looks at bacteriophages, viruses that attack bacteria, and how therapies combining both antibiotics and bacteriophages may be able to treat hard-to-kill bacteria that have grown immune to antibiotics-only treatments. Marine virus are then examined, showing that the oceans contain vast numbers of them than we are only now starting to recognise. Retroviruses (viruses that have become part of human DNA) are then looked at. While most are now harmless, one protein produced by a retrovirus in our DNA would prove to be important: it produces the protein that is a vital part of the mammal placenta.

The next section looks at what is in store for us as development and climate change causes disruptions, and it is not a pretty picture. HIV (and AIDS) is one example of an animal virus that spilled over into humans, causing massive suffering over the decades. The West Nile Virus is a virus that targets birds, but can end up killing humans because the mosquito, which spreads the virus, does not discriminate when feeding. And COVID-19 shows what can happen when humanity is not prepared for a virus that can cause a rapid global epidemic. Finally, he looks at the question of what to do with the last stockpiles of smallpox virus, one of a few viruses that man has managed to eliminate from the world.

The epilogue looks at what we still don’t know about viruses. The discovery of giant viruses (the mimivurs) shows that viruses are not necessary tiny containers of DNA or RNA. And the question of how life began and how viruses may have played a part in cells becoming alive is yet to be answered.

Book read from 2025/02/21 to 2025/02/22