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A Planet of Viruses

A Planet of Viruses

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  • Create Date：2021-04-10 09:51:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Carl Zimmer
  • ISBN：022678259X
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Summary

In 2020， an invisible germ—a virus—wholly upended our lives。 We’re most familiar with the viruses that give us colds or Covid-19。 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 that we are actually part virus: the human genome contains more DNA from viruses than our own genes。 Meanwhile， scientists are discovering viruses everywhere they look: in the soil， in the ocean， even in deep caves miles underground。
 
Fully revised and updated， with new illustrations and a new chapter about coronaviruses and the spread of Covid-19， this third edition of Carl Zimmer’s A Planet of Viruses pulls back the veil on this hidden world。 It presents the latest research on how viruses hold sway over our lives and our biosphere， how viruses helped give rise to the first life-forms， how viruses are producing new diseases， how we can harness viruses for our own ends， and how viruses will continue to control our fate as long as life endures。

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Reviews

Marshall Wayne Lee ，

Carl Zimmer's _A Planet of Viruses_ receives five stars from me due to the information he supplies and the accessible language presents the information。As the title suggests， this is about viruses。 I found the chapter on HIV particularly eye opening， not to mention west nile and ebola chapters。 In light of Covid-19， I wonder if he is writing a new chapter to be inserted in the new editions。 He mentions many times that viruses making a jump from animal to human might cause the next epidemic。 Reco Carl Zimmer's _A Planet of Viruses_ receives five stars from me due to the information he supplies and the accessible language presents the information。As the title suggests， this is about viruses。 I found the chapter on HIV particularly eye opening， not to mention west nile and ebola chapters。 In light of Covid-19， I wonder if he is writing a new chapter to be inserted in the new editions。 He mentions many times that viruses making a jump from animal to human might cause the next epidemic。 Recommended: yes。 。。。more

Narayan Venkitachalam ，

The book introduces the reader to the world of viruses through the story of a few important viruses。

The Inquisitive Biologist ，

Updated throughout， A Planet of Viruses is a collection of essays on virology that are miniature masterclasses of science communication。 See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist。com/2021。。。 Updated throughout， A Planet of Viruses is a collection of essays on virology that are miniature masterclasses of science communication。 See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist。com/2021。。。 。。。more

Sogol Jalali ，

If I could， I would give a copy of this brilliant book to all the people who talk a lot about the coronavirus cause and effects with references from Instagram and so on， especially in my country Iran with a continued history of The illusion of conspiracy。

Marc ，

An amazing – although too short – book on viruses and their role in diseases， evolution and the origin of life。 Fascinating and enlightening。

J TC ，

In his book， A Planet of Viruses， Carl Zimmer the history of virus since 1879 when Adolph Mayer and Martinus Beijerink had described the “contagious living fluid” in the “tobacco mosaic disease”。 Since the description of this contagious living fluids until the discovery of the first virus some decades had elapsed。Virus are certainly the most abundant “living” organisms in the planet。 Despite expressions like “killing the virus” or reproduction of virus are common many biologists don’t consider t In his book， A Planet of Viruses， Carl Zimmer the history of virus since 1879 when Adolph Mayer and Martinus Beijerink had described the “contagious living fluid” in the “tobacco mosaic disease”。 Since the description of this contagious living fluids until the discovery of the first virus some decades had elapsed。Virus are certainly the most abundant “living” organisms in the planet。 Despite expressions like “killing the virus” or reproduction of virus are common many biologists don’t consider them as living organisms since they don’t have a metabolic machinery。 Never less， this is not a close issue and a debate on the subject is still going on。 Living organisms or not， virus are important entities not only on disease。 They help the homeostasis of the planet， they have a important role in the synthesis of oxygen and they are most important in controlling the population of bacteria especially sea bacteria。In his book Carl Zimmer takes us on a tour of the most relevant and pathologic virus to the human being。 Rhinovirus， Influenza， papillomavirus， retrovirus， human immunodeficiency virus， west nile virus， chikungunya virus， ebola， coronavirus and smallpox are virus and viruses that the author described as relevant in human health history， and are used to described both human knowledge about those diseases and the attempts of prevention or vaccination against them。Most impressive is the chapter of the use of bacteriophages in viral medicine， and the chapter about how marine phages rule the sea。Viruses outnumber all other residents of the ocean by about fifteen to one， they kill between 15 and 40% of all bacteria in the world ocean every single day， they controlled pathogenic bacteria proliferation， they control bacteria that are prejudicial to algae and photosynthetic bacteria （helping controlling levels of O2）， and algae release of dimethyl sulfide， an important gas to cloud formation。Life on the planet will never stop astonish me。 We humans are the culminate of four billion years of evolution on earth and we have an obligation to leave a legacy of protection and care of the life on earth。 。。。more

Sergio Huaman Kemper ，

Short， but full of interesting， entertaining and informative stories about viruses。

pawi ，

Easy read。 Interesting to have some more background knowledge about viruses。

Sanchari Chaudhuri ，

A solid 3 star book with bite size chapters on common viruses。 Pretty basic but fairly interesting。 Bumped to a 4 because of the following three points， which provided some much appreciated lines of thought: "Ebola-like viruses may be frightening， but they probably pose less of a danger to our species than viruses with a lower death rate that can spread to more hosts。" Chapter entitled Predicting the Next Plague on SARS and Ebola。 Very short and mostly on HIV because of the zoonotic link， but un A solid 3 star book with bite size chapters on common viruses。 Pretty basic but fairly interesting。 Bumped to a 4 because of the following three points， which provided some much appreciated lines of thought: "Ebola-like viruses may be frightening， but they probably pose less of a danger to our species than viruses with a lower death rate that can spread to more hosts。" Chapter entitled Predicting the Next Plague on SARS and Ebola。 Very short and mostly on HIV because of the zoonotic link， but understandable seeing as this was written in 2011， almost a decade after SARS， and almost a decade before SARS-CoV-2。 But this line here struck me because of how often I heard the low-fatality-rate factor being touted as a "boon" on the news。 "After thirty-five hundred years of suffering and puzzling over smallpox， we have finally figured it out。 And yet， by understanding smallpox， we have ensured that it can never be utterly eradicated as a threat to humans。 Our knowledge gives the virus its own kind of immortality。" The chapter called The Long Goodbye on smallpox。 What a jarring last line。 At a World Health Organization meeting in 2016， the committee acknowledged that "given the advent of synthetic biology， it was no longer possible for society to entirely rid itself of the threat of smallpox or， indeed， other dangerous pathogens。" （taken from an article on horsepox virus - a relative of smallpox - and how it was synthesized from scratch in a lab。） "And as scientists debate what it means to be a virus， they are debating an even bigger question: what it means to be alive。" The epilogue on Mimivirus。 The reason why I have always been so endlessly fascinated by these beings - things！ Fantastic chapter， almost philosophical。 What I need now is a good book on SARS-CoV-2， and I'm internally snickering because the first one that popped in my mind was Kissing the Coronavirus by M。J。 Edwards。 Well， maybe。 。。。more

RemoCPI ，

Libro muy interesante y que se hace muy corto， además de serlo。 Un tercio del libro es bibliografía， créditos e índice onomástico。 Hace un breve recorrido con unas pocas paradas selectas en virus concretos， para darnos una primera pincelada en esto de la virología。 Tiene un par de capítulos dedicados a los bacteriófagos， que tienen pinta de ir a resurgir de nuevo cuando nos carguemos colectivamente la utilidad de los antibióticos por sobreutilización。 Cuenta muchas cosas que no sabía， lo cual es Libro muy interesante y que se hace muy corto， además de serlo。 Un tercio del libro es bibliografía， créditos e índice onomástico。 Hace un breve recorrido con unas pocas paradas selectas en virus concretos， para darnos una primera pincelada en esto de la virología。 Tiene un par de capítulos dedicados a los bacteriófagos， que tienen pinta de ir a resurgir de nuevo cuando nos carguemos colectivamente la utilidad de los antibióticos por sobreutilización。 Cuenta muchas cosas que no sabía， lo cual es fantástico， por supuesto， pero no apunta a los mismos objetivos que Contagio， que es mi vara de medir de todos los libros de virus。 Lo complementa， desde luego。 Algunos subrayadosThe Uncommon Cold: RhinovirusAround 3，500 years ago， an Egyptian scholar sat down and wrote the oldest known medical text。 Among the diseases he described in the so-called Ebers Papyrus was something called resh。 Even with that strange sounding name， its symptoms—a cough and a flowing of mucus from the nose—are immediately familiar to us all。 Resh is the common cold。rhinovirus itself is relatively mild。 Most colds are over in a week， and 40 percent of people who test positive for rhinoviruses suffer no symptoms at all。Human rhinoviruses may help train our immune systems not to overreact to minor triggers， instead directing their assaults to real threats。Looking Down from the Stars: Influenza VirusAmidst all the mysteries of the flu， the origin of the virus is clear。 It came from birds。 Birds carry all known strains of human influenza viruses， along with a vast diversity of other flu viruses that don’t infect humans。 Many birds carry the flu without getting sick。 Rather than infecting their airways， flu viruses typically infect the guts of birds; the viruses are then shed in bird droppings。Bird flu viruses are well adapted to infecting their avian hosts and reproducing quickly inside them。 Those adaptations make them ill-suited to spreading among humans。When a flu virus hitches a ride aboard a droplet and infects a new host， it sometimes invades a cell that’s already harboring another flu virus。 And when two different flu viruses reproduce inside the same cell， things can get messy。 The genes of a flu virus are stored on eight separate segments， and when a host cell starts manufacturing the segments from two different viruses at once， they sometimes get mixed together。 The new offspring end up carrying genetic material from both viruses。 This mixing， known as reassortment， is a viral version of sex。 When humans have children， the parents’ genes are mixed together， creating new combinations of the same two sets of DNA。 Reassortment allows flu viruses to mix genes together into new combinations， as well。on very rare occasions， an avian influenza virus can pick up human influenza virus genes through reassortment。 That can be a recipe for disaster， because the new strain that results can easily spread from person to person。 And because it has never circulated among humans before， no one has any defenses that could slow the new strain’s spread。Humans are not the only hosts who have picked up flu viruses from birds。 Horses， dogs， and several other mammals have also picked it up。 And in April 2009， the world became painfully aware that flu viruses also infect pigs。 An outbreak of so-called swine flu jumped from pigs to humans。 It first surfaced in Mexico and soon spread over the entire planet。 The history of this particular flu strain， called Human/Swine 2009 H1N1， is a tangled tale of genetic mixing and industrialized agriculture。 Pigs seem to have just the right biology for reassortment; some of their receptors can easily accept human flu viruses， while other receptors welcome bird flu。Rabbits with Horns: Human PapillomavirusThis balance between host and virus has existed for hundreds of millions of years。 To reconstruct the history of papillomaviruses， scientists compare the genetic sequence of different strains and note which animals they infect。 It turns out that papillomaviruses infect not just mammals， such as humans， rabbits， and cows， but other vertebrates as well， such as birds and reptiles。 Each strain of virus typically only infects one or a few related species。 Based on their relationships， Marc Gottschling of the University of Munich has argued that the first egg-laying land vertebrates— the ancestor of mammals， reptiles， and birds—was already a host to papillomaviruses three hundred million years ago。a 2008 study on 1，797 men and women found 60 percent of them had antibodies to HPV， indicating they had been infected with the virus at someIn 2006， the first HPV vaccines were approved for use in the United States and Europe。 They all contain proteins from the outer shell of HPV， which the immune system can learn to recognize。 If people are later infected with HPV， their immune system can mount a rapid attack and wipe it out。The Infected Ocean: Marine PhagesScientists can determine the history of genes by comparing the genomes of species that split from a common ancestor that lived long ago。 Those comparisons can， for example， reveal genes that were delivered to their current host by a virus that lived in the distant past。 Scientists have found that all living things have mosaics of genomes， with hundreds or thousands of genes imported by viruses。Our Inner Parasites: Endogenous RetrovirusesThe idea that a host’s genes could have come from viruses is almost philosophical in its weirdness。[。。。]was one of the clues that led virologists to discover that some viruses cause cancer。Scientists recognized that this new virus was in a class of its own。 They called it an endogenous retrovirus—endogenous meaning generated within。 They soon found endogenous retroviruses in other animals。 In fact， the viruses lurk in the genomes of just about every major group of vertebrates，foamy viruses infected the common ancestor of three-toed sloths and primates， which lived a hundred million years ago。Over millions of years， our genomes have picked up a vast amount of DNA from dead viruses。 Each of us carries almost a hundred thousand fragments of endogenous retrovirus DNA in our genome， making up about 8 percent of our DNA。 To put that figure in perspective， consider that the twenty thousand protein-coding genes in the human genome make up only 1。2 percent of our DNA。Heidmann and other researchers have found that a human endogenous retrovirus gene plays a crucial role in that fusion。 The cells in the outer placenta use the gene to produce a protein on their surface， which latches them to neighboring cells。 In our most intimate moment， as new human life emerges from old， viruses are essential to our survival。 There is no us and them—just a gradually blending and shifting mix of DNA。The Young Scourge: Human Immunodeficiency VirusLittle did they know that they were publishing the first observations of what would become the greatest epidemic in modern history。 HIV belongs to a group of viruses—including influenza—that are very sloppy in their replication。 They create many mutants in very little time。 These mutants provide the raw material for natural selection to act on， producing viruses that are better and better adapted。 Within a single host， natural selection can improve the ability of viruses to escape detection of the immune system。Different people carry different variations in the genes for human leukocyte antigens。 Goulder and his colleagues found that most of the HIV in each country carried mutations to the most effective human leukocyte antigens in that country’s population。 Their findings tell us that HIV is rapidly adapting to the variations in human immune systems around the world。 That is sobering news to those who are trying to build HIV vaccines。 If a vaccine ever succeeds in boosting an effective immune response in people， HIV might well evolve a way to escape。Becoming an American: West Nile Virusinfected bird could not have triggered a nationwide epidemic。 The viruses needed a new vector to spread。 It just so happens that West Nile viruses can survive inside 62 species of mosquitoes that live in the United States。Moving from bird to mosquito to bird， West Nile virus spread across the entire United States in just 4 years。 And along the way， people became ill with West Nile virus as well。 About 85 percent of infections in the United States cause no symptoms。 The other 15 percent of infected people develop fevers， rashes， and headaches， and 38 percent of them have to go to a hospital， where they stay for about 5 days on average。 About 1 in 150 infected people end up developing encephalitis。Between 1999 and 2008， U。S。 doctors recorded 28，961 cases of West Nile virus。 Of those victims， 1，131 died。 OnceWest Nile virus has fit so successfully into the ecology of the United States that it’s probably going to be impossible to eradicate。 Unfortunately， doctors have no vaccine to prevent West Nile virus and no drugs to treat an infection。 If you get sick， you can only hope that you are among the majority who suffer a fever and then recover。Predicting the Next Plague: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and EbolaThe Global Viral Forecasting Initiative is trying to change the way we fight viruses。 Someday， somewhere， a virus we don’t know about is going to emerge as a major new threat to human health。 We’ve seen it happen many times before， and so we know it will happen again。 GVFI scientists think we’ll do a better job fighting that new virus if we can learn something about it in advance。 To eliminate the advantage of surprise， GVFI scientists are looking for these viruses before they jump into humans。Based on their experience with viruses such as HIV， scientists suspected that the SARS virus had evolved from a virus that infects animals。 They began to analyze viruses in animals with which people in China have regular contact。 As they discovered new viruses， they added their branches to the SARS evolutionary tree。 In a matter of months， scientists had reconstructed the history of SARS。 The virus started in Chinese bats。The Long Goodbye: Smallpoxsmallpox。 But what a virus to wipe out。 Over the past three thousand years， smallpox may have killed more people than any other disease on Earth。About a third of people who got smallpox eventually died。hosts。 Between 1400 and 1800， smallpox killed an estimated five hundred million people every century in Europe alone。and inoculated it into the arm of a boy。 The boy developed a few small pustules， but otherwise he suffered no symptoms。 Six weeks later， Jenner variolated the boy—in other words， he exposed the boy to smallpox， rather than cowpox。 The boy developed no pustules at all。 Jenner published a pamphlet in 1798 documenting this new， safer way to prevent smallpox。 He dubbed it “vaccination，” after the Latin name of cowpox， Variolae vaccinae。As vaccines grew popular， doctors struggled to keep up with the demand。 At first they would pick off the scabs that formed on vaccinated arms， and use them to vaccinate others in turn。 But since cowpox occurred naturally only in Europe， people in other parts of the world could not simply acquire the virus themselves。 In 1803， King Carlos of Spain came up with a radical solution: a vaccine expedition to the Americas and Asia。 Twenty orphans boarded a ship in Spain。 One of the orphans had been vaccinated before the ship set sail。 After eight days， the orphan developed pustules， and then scabs。 Those scabs were used to vaccinate another orphan， and so on through a chain of vaccination。 As the ship stopped in port after port， the expedition delivered scabs to vaccinate the localOutbreak by outbreak， the virus was beaten back， until the last case was recorded in Ethiopia in 1977。 The world was now free of smallpox。Epilogue: The Alien in the Watercooler: Mimiviruscrystals， the same way they could crystallize salt or pure DNA。 No one could ever crystallize a maple tree。 In 2000， the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses declared that “viruses are not living organisms。” In the decadeScientists don’t know what mimiviruses do with all of their genes， but some suspect that they do some rather lifelike things with them。 Some of their proteins， for instance， look a lot like the proteins our own cells use to assemble new genes and proteins。 When mimiviruses invade amoebae， they don’t dissolve into a cloud of molecules。 Instead， they set up a massive， intricate structure called a viral factory。 The virus factory takes in raw ingredients through one portal， and then spits out new DNA and proteins through two others。 The viral factory looks and acts remarkably like a cell。 It’s so much like a cell， in fact， that La Scola and his colleagues discovered in 2008 that it can be infected by a virus of its own。 It was the first time anyone had found a virus of a virus。 It was yet another thing that ought not to exist。Drawing a bright line between life and nonlife can also make it harder to understand how life began in the first place。 Scientists are still trying to work out the origin of life， but one thing is clear: it did not start suddenly with the flick of a great cosmic power switch。 It’s likely that life emerged gradually， as raw ingredients like sugar and phosphate combined in increasingly complex reactions on the early Earth。 It’s possible， for example， that single-stranded molecules of RNA gradually grew and acquired the ability to make copies of themselves。 Trying to find a moment in time when such RNA-life abruptly became “alive” just distracts us from the gradual transition to life as we know it。 。。。more

Kristi ，

Well written， essay style。 No great depth on any one virus， more a general overview。 Enjoyable and a good sampler platter of virus discussion。

Oscar García Miranda ，

Great introduction to the virusphere！

Ivana Krekáňová ，

Planéta vírusov je zbierka článkov Carla Zimmera， ktoré pôvodne písal pre projekt Svet vírusov。 Hoci pochopiteľne nejde tak do hĺbky ako v svojej knihe o parazitoch （Parasite Rex）， dočítate sa o mnohom zaujímavom: napríklad o tom， ako sa v minulosti vyvíjalo spoznávanie vírusov， o nekonečných vlnách chrípky， ktorej mnohým aspektom stále nerozumieme， hoci aspoň jej vtáčí pôvod je už jasný， prečo dodnes nemáme liek na prechladnutie， ktoré spôsobuje jeden z najúspešnejších ľudských vírusov， rinovír Planéta vírusov je zbierka článkov Carla Zimmera， ktoré pôvodne písal pre projekt Svet vírusov。 Hoci pochopiteľne nejde tak do hĺbky ako v svojej knihe o parazitoch （Parasite Rex）， dočítate sa o mnohom zaujímavom: napríklad o tom， ako sa v minulosti vyvíjalo spoznávanie vírusov， o nekonečných vlnách chrípky， ktorej mnohým aspektom stále nerozumieme， hoci aspoň jej vtáčí pôvod je už jasný， prečo dodnes nemáme liek na prechladnutie， ktoré spôsobuje jeden z najúspešnejších ľudských vírusov， rinovírus （rino znamená nos）， o evolučnej kreativite vírusov a ich genetickej rôznorodosti， o vedeckých hádkach （napríklad o debate o existencii bakteriofágov， ktorá trvala roky）， o mýte o zajdalenovi， vďaka ktorému sa prišlo na spojenie medzi ľudským papilomavírusom a rakovinou a aj na to， že ľudský genóm obsahuje vírusy， o zvieracom pôvode mnohých vírusov， o tom， kam sa bude výskum vírusov uberať v budúcnosti， ale aj o mnohých zaujímavých príbehoch z dejín virológie。 Oplatí sa， napriek miestami trochu kostrbatému prekladu。 。。。more

Ionuţ Oprea ，

Viruses might not be truly alive but they trained and forced life to evolve despite their simplicity and power to destroy that some of them may present。

Caroline ，

short but sheet

Theo Anagram ，

Highly worth reading I learned a lot about viruses more than watching the daily news on Covid-19。 It didn’t calm me down but it gave me much better perspective on the current situation。 Well worth reading I feel like I blew through this book and on every page there seems to be an interesting tis bit of information。

Levo Tohva ，

Üks teadmine， mis iga lugemise käigus üha kinnistub， on， et nimetus "homo sapiens" on võetud meie liigile suurushullude poolt。 Faktid tõendavad， et liigina oleme isekad， instinktidest juhitud， latrajatest enesehävitajad。 "Meie inimesed oleme osavad viirusi looma - olgu nendeks seafarmist alguse saanud uus gripiviirus või HIV， mis arenes tapetud šimpansite lihast。 Viirustest vabanemises ei ole me kahjuks sama osavad。 Hoolimata vaktsiinidest， ravimitest， rahvatervise tegevuskavadest， suudavad viir Üks teadmine， mis iga lugemise käigus üha kinnistub， on， et nimetus "homo sapiens" on võetud meie liigile suurushullude poolt。 Faktid tõendavad， et liigina oleme isekad， instinktidest juhitud， latrajatest enesehävitajad。 "Meie inimesed oleme osavad viirusi looma - olgu nendeks seafarmist alguse saanud uus gripiviirus või HIV， mis arenes tapetud šimpansite lihast。 Viirustest vabanemises ei ole me kahjuks sama osavad。 Hoolimata vaktsiinidest， ravimitest， rahvatervise tegevuskavadest， suudavad viirused ikka hävingust hoiduda。" /tsitaadi lõpp/Raamatus on ennastsalgavaid lugusid teadlastest， kes vahel elu hinnaga püüavad leida haigustele ravimeid ja vastupidiseid näiteid suhtumistest， mis teadlaste pingutused nullivad ning vähe sellest - tekitavad uute haiguste ülekandumiseks loomadelt-inimestele， soodsad tingimused。 Teadusraamat parimas tähenduses: hästi loetav， ladus， arusaadav， haarav， loogiline。 Hea alustus selleks， et end pisilaste maailmaga kurssi viia ja edasi lugeda juba näiteks: HÜPE。 ZOONOOSID JA JÄRGMINE ÜLEILMNE PANDEEMIA; Autor: DAVID QUAMMEN 。。。more

Maureen ，

The second edition of this short book was written in 2015， before the coronavirus pandemic circled the globe and brought economic and social life to a screeching halt （still there at this writing）。 The book is a good layman's education about the nature and history of viruses， as well as major viral outbreaks that have led to developments in how we deal with viruses as well as what we know about viruses。 #1 They aren't all bad！ #2 And they aren't all new。 In fact， viruses appear to be part of the The second edition of this short book was written in 2015， before the coronavirus pandemic circled the globe and brought economic and social life to a screeching halt （still there at this writing）。 The book is a good layman's education about the nature and history of viruses， as well as major viral outbreaks that have led to developments in how we deal with viruses as well as what we know about viruses。 #1 They aren't all bad！ #2 And they aren't all new。 In fact， viruses appear to be part of the basic building blocks that created life 。 They've been around so much longer than humans， longer than early life forms。 To read about SARS， MERS， HIV， smallpox， and Ebola provided me with a grounding for understanding the impact of viruses on the modern world。 。。。more

Susan Eberth ，

More on viruses Quick view into the world of viruses， always interesting。 Waiting for the COVID 19 papers to surface， SARS once again got its honorary mention here。

Bruce ，

I first Learned of this book an April 15， 2020 on Book TV。 The author was part of a panel discussion on pandemics， a replay of the taped panel from the 2016 Brooklyn Book Festival。 Carol Zimmer， author of “A Planet of Viruses”， was part of the panel。 The book was published by the University of Chicago Press，with the first edition released in 2011， and written for the World of Viruses Project， funded by the National Center for Research Resources at the NIH。I cannot recommend this book highly eno I first Learned of this book an April 15， 2020 on Book TV。 The author was part of a panel discussion on pandemics， a replay of the taped panel from the 2016 Brooklyn Book Festival。 Carol Zimmer， author of “A Planet of Viruses”， was part of the panel。 The book was published by the University of Chicago Press，with the first edition released in 2011， and written for the World of Viruses Project， funded by the National Center for Research Resources at the NIH。I cannot recommend this book highly enough。 For those individuals highly knowledgeable in viruses， it is probably unlikely to shed more light; for those who recognize their lack of knowledge regarding viruses， with a willingness to learn， this book should be hugely beneficial。The style of this book is written in which the observer is not consumed with only some of the potential adverse realities which some viruses bring; rather it is almost metaphysical and phylogenetic， accepting the now unquestioned interrelationship of who we as humans are， and our intimate entwinement with viruses， for billions of years。The author discusses multiple viruses， from the oldest to the youngest， from those with incredibly small genomes to those with thousands of genes。 Each chapter begins with an electron microscopy photo of the virus， some round， almost balloon like， some look like corn pop cereal。 Others thin， stringy and long， wormlike in appearance。I thought it would be best to give you some quotes from the author。 “There are as many as 200 million viruses in every drop of water from the cave of crystals”。 The Cave of Crystals is about 50 miles from Chihuahua， Mexico。 。。。In the same year of that discovery， 2009， scientist Dana Willner had people cough up sputum from their own lungs 。。Willner discovered that， on average， people have 172 species of viruses in the lungs“。 Pg。9。 “ By the 1950’s，virologists。。。Could not have dreamed of the vast number of viruses that exist on earth; they could not have guessed that much of life’s genetic diversity is carried in viruses。 They did not know that viruses help produce much of the oxygen we breathe and help control the planet’s thermostat。 And they certainly would not have guessed that the human genome is partly composed from thousands of viruses that infected our distant ancestors， or that life as we know it may have gotten its start 4 billion years ago from viruses”。 Pg20 - The Influenza Virus- “But in the 1918 outbreak， it was young adults- People with strong immune systems-who proved to be particularly vulnerable。。。 it’s possible， for example， that in 1918， older people carried protective antibodies from a similar pandemic in 1889“。 pg 53- “The idea that a host’s genes could have come from viruses is almost philosophical in its weirdness”。 Pg 57- The Endogenous Viruses- “Each of us carries almost 100，000 fragments of endogenous retroviruses DNA in our genome， making up about 8% of our DNA。 。。。Our genomes， in other words， are awash in Viruses”。pg。 91- Smallpox Virus- When Edward Jenner had heard about how milk maids never got smallpox， a virus killing millions between the 1400s to the 1800s， even though cows could get infected with cowpox， a close relative to smallpox， Jenner surmised that he would try inoculating a small amount of cowpox into a young boy， and later， he subsequently expose that boy to smallpox，。 The boy did not get sick。 He published his findings in 1793， calling it a “ vaccination”， after the Latin name of cowpox， Variolae Vaccinae。 Pg 97- “The invention of genome sequencing technology opened the way for another major advance when scientists began to assemble bases to synthesize genes from scratch”。 Eckerd Wimmer， a virologist at Stony Brook，“realized that viruses had genomes that were small enough that they could be synthesized in full。 In 2002，。。。 they had， in other words， made polio from scratch“。Giant viruses， with 1018 genes， the mimivirus。 And then another new giant virus with 1059 genes， named the mamavirus。 Giant Viruses in monkeys and cows。 Giant Viruses isolated from people。 Giant Viruses with their viral factories， bridging the gap between ordinary viruses and cellular life。In 2000， the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses Made this judgment official “viruses are not living organisms”， they flatly declared。 “But in the years following that declaration， many virologists came to question it， and some rejected it outright。 In the face of new discoveries， the old rules no longer work well“。As the old adage says “hindsight is 20/20 vision”。 What viruses are good and what viruses are bad？ The author has provided， via this predominantly retrospective review， much data regarding both coexistence with and/or mortality due to viruses。 How is it though， that civilization continues on， surviving， as Jack London， age 30， speculated almost 114 years ago， on his multiple months Pacific Ocean sojourn with his wife Charmaine; the trip he writes about in “ The Cruise of the Snark”，in 1907， pondering about immunity of the Polynesians。 This lack of knowledge does not help us; far， far more needs to be done in the world of immunity。 We need to ask our doctors， and get answers， regarding immunity， the same way we do about blood sugar， obesity， blood pressure， and liver function tests。 。。。more

Monado ，

This is a collection of columns about various aspects of viruses。 It is interesting but does not provide a continuous narrative。

Omid Hosseinzadeh ，

کتابی عالی برای شناخت دنیای ویروسها با ترجمه روان و قابل فهم برای همه

Kelli ，

Cool little collection of essays on virology and epidemiology。 If you like essays and you like to learn about disease then you’d love this！

Holly ，

Short sections on different viruses to give you a taste of the variety and history of viruses that affect humans。

Stijn Schellinck ，

Great - simplified - introduction to viruses。 Well written， interesting and all I needed to know as a layman。 Would recommend to anyone who’s remotely interested in the subject。

Jennifer ，

While this was certain thought-provoking and interesting， I found it surprisingly superficial。 I'd love to see Zimmer to a deep-dive on this topic， as he did in She Has Her Mother's Laugh。 I enjoyed reading it and certainly learned a few things， but it didn't have the depth I was expecting and looking for。 Nevertheless， I look forward to reading more from Zimmer。 Perhaps I should start with a biology textbook 。 。 。 While this was certain thought-provoking and interesting， I found it surprisingly superficial。 I'd love to see Zimmer to a deep-dive on this topic， as he did in She Has Her Mother's Laugh。 I enjoyed reading it and certainly learned a few things， but it didn't have the depth I was expecting and looking for。 Nevertheless， I look forward to reading more from Zimmer。 Perhaps I should start with a biology textbook 。 。 。 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

A really interesting read on the history of viruses and humanity。

Two Readers in Love ，

After reading this， I'll never chuckle at a Jackalope again。。。 A short， engaging read that updated some of my outdated education about viruses （e。g。 that they are 'not life。'） After reading this， I'll never chuckle at a Jackalope again。。。 A short， engaging read that updated some of my outdated education about viruses （e。g。 that they are 'not life。'） 。。。more

Sirajam Munir Shraban ，

এই ক্ষুদ্র জিনিসটার সাথে পুরো মানবজাতি অঙ্গা-অঙ্গি জড়িত। পৃথিবীতে যে পৃথিবীতে বিদ্যমান আছি， এই থাকার পেছনে মূল্যবান অবদান তাদের। আবার সময়ে সময়ে দুরারোগ্য ব্যাধি ও মহামারীর মাধ্যমে লক্ষ লক্ষ মানুষের দুঃখ， লক্ষ লক্ষ পরিবারের কান্নার কারণও তারা। এরা যেমন রোগ বাধায় তেমনই দেহকে রোগ থেকে বাঁচায়ও।জগতে এমন কোনো প্রাণী নেই যাদের শরীরে তাদের বসবাস নেই। দুনিয়ার এমন কোনো জায়গা নেই যেখানে তাদের অস্তিত্ব নেই। সাগরের তলদেশ কি আগ্নেয়গিরির অভ্যন্তর， হাজার বছরের জমাট বরফ কি দূর মহাকাশ- সবখানেই তাদের উপস্থ এই ক্ষুদ্র জিনিসটার সাথে পুরো মানবজাতি অঙ্গা-অঙ্গি জড়িত। পৃথিবীতে যে পৃথিবীতে বিদ্যমান আছি， এই থাকার পেছনে মূল্যবান অবদান তাদের। আবার সময়ে সময়ে দুরারোগ্য ব্যাধি ও মহামারীর মাধ্যমে লক্ষ লক্ষ মানুষের দুঃখ， লক্ষ লক্ষ পরিবারের কান্নার কারণও তারা। এরা যেমন রোগ বাধায় তেমনই দেহকে রোগ থেকে বাঁচায়ও।জগতে এমন কোনো প্রাণী নেই যাদের শরীরে তাদের বসবাস নেই। দুনিয়ার এমন কোনো জায়গা নেই যেখানে তাদের অস্তিত্ব নেই। সাগরের তলদেশ কি আগ্নেয়গিরির অভ্যন্তর， হাজার বছরের জমাট বরফ কি দূর মহাকাশ- সবখানেই তাদের উপস্থিতি। মানুষের অন্ত্রে কি যন্ত্রে， মগজে কি রক্তে সবখানেই তাদের পদচারণা। এদের জগৎটা এত বিশাল যে， কল্পনাও করা যায় না। তার উপর এরা এতই ক্ষুদ্র যে এদেরকে চোখেও দেখা যায় না। এই বিশাল জগৎ সম্বন্ধে পাঠককে ধারণা দেওয়া সহজ কথা নয়। কিন্তু এই কাজটি করেছেন কার্ল জিমার। তিনি অনেকদিন ধরে জীববিজ্ঞানের বিভিন্ন বিষয় নিয়ে দারুণ দারুণ বই ও সুন্দর সুন্দর প্রবন্ধ লিখছেন। কোনো বিষয়কে তিনি এত সুন্দর করে উপস্থাপন করেন যে পড়লে মনে হয় এটা একটা আর্টপিস। ভাইরাস নিয়ে তার লেখা ছোট বই 'A Planet of Viruses'ও তেমন একটি কাজ। বইটিতে তিনি ভাইরাসকে এত সুন্দর করে উপস্থাপন করেছেন যে， পড়তে তো কোনো বেগ পেতে হয়ই না বরং আনন্দ হয়， ইচ্ছে হয় উনার অন্যান্য বইগুলোও পড়ে ফেলার। চমৎকার এই বইটির অত্যন্ত চমৎকার অনুবাদ করেছেন সৈয়দ মনজুর মোর্শেদ। তিনি নিজেও অণুজীববিজ্ঞানের ছাত্র। অনেকদিন ধরেই লিখছেন বিজ্ঞান ব্লগ， জিরো টু ইনফিনিটি ম্যাগাজিন， Roar বাংলা সহ অন্যান্য মাধ্যমে। খুবই সুন্দর লিখেন， তার লেখা মাত্রই উপভোগ্য। তার করা এই অনুবাদটিও দারুণ। অনুবাদ এতই ভালো হয়েছে যে মনে হচ্ছিল， মূল বইটি পড়লেও এত সুন্দর উপভোগ করতে পারব না। আফসোস হচ্ছিল， এমন একটা বই এতদিন কীভাবে শোকেসে অলস ফেলে রাখলাম？ পড়ে শেষ করে খুব তৃপ্তি পেয়েছি， অনেকদিন পর এমন সুন্দর একটা বই পড়লাম। সৈয়দ মনজুর মোর্শেদ অনেকদিন বেঁচে থাকুক। এ রকম সুন্দর সুন্দর আরো বই লিখুক। কার্ল জিমারের অন্যান্য বইগুলোও বাংলাভাষী পাঠকের জন্য অনুবাদ করুক এই আশা রইলো। এখন করোনাভাইরাসের মহামারি চলমান। ভাইরাস সম্বন্ধে মানুষের আলাদা আগ্রহ জন্মেছে। বাংলাভাষী পাঠকের জন্য সেই আগ্রহের খোঁড়াক হতে পারে সহজ-সুন্দর ভাষায় লেখা এই বইটি।বই: ভাইরাসের পৃথিবী （A Planet of Viruses） || লেখক: কার্ল জিমার || রূপান্তর: সৈয়দ মনজুর মোর্শেদ || প্রকাশক: প্রকৃতি-পরিচয় || প্রকাশকাল: ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৭ || পৃষ্ঠা: ১১৯ || মূল্য: ১৫০ টাকা 。。。more

Erik Gaull ，

This is book is an easy read that provides a digestible and fascinating history of viruses and virology。 Given the current COVID-19 pandemic， this book ought to be read widely so we all become much more conversant about the situation that confronts us。 At just over 100 pages， this book takes no time to finish -- there's little excuse for not reading it。 I also think that it should be part of every high school student's biology curriculum。 This is book is an easy read that provides a digestible and fascinating history of viruses and virology。 Given the current COVID-19 pandemic， this book ought to be read widely so we all become much more conversant about the situation that confronts us。 At just over 100 pages， this book takes no time to finish -- there's little excuse for not reading it。 I also think that it should be part of every high school student's biology curriculum。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Planet of Viruses

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Planet of Viruses&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Planet of Viruses&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0