A Planet of Viruses
By Carl Zimmer
University of Chicago Press, 2011.
Summary of A Planet of Viruses book by Carl Zimmer
A collection of essays about how viruses, the smallest living thing known to scientists, helped give rise to life on Earth while simultaneously threatening the very existence of people, plants, and other organisms—and what we can expect from these mysterious agents in the future.
Chapters in A Planet of Viruses book summary
What do you get from this book? Fascinating stories about viruses over the ages and humanity’s desire to understand them
Viruses were discovered in 1879, and continue to astound scientists with their ability to thrive in biologically diverse environments
Human rhinoviruses are some of the oldest—and most successful—viruses of all time
Influenza continues to baffle modern-day scientists, even though it kills thousands of people every year
Though invisible to the naked eye, viruses can sometimes manifest as horns, warts, or worse
Not all viruses intend humans harm—some actually attack deadly bacteria and are more effective than antibiotics
Marine phages help regulate the earth’s temperature and prevent deadly outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases
Endogenous retroviruses—viruses generated from within—help form the basic building blocks of human DNA
Though scientists are closer to an HIV vaccine, there will probably never be just one solution to stop this virus
West Nile virus demonstrates how one virus can jump back and forth between different species—and span an entire continent
Even when viruses are apparently eradicated, there’s no telling when they may resurface—either accidently or intentionally
As virologists make new discoveries, mankind’s understanding of what constitutes a virus will probably change well into the future
SARS and Ebola seemed like possible candidates for the next great epidemic—which proves the unpredictability of viruses
Summary of the key insights
selected critiques in brief
Final word
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A Planet of Viruses — Book Summary Snapshot
Who should read A Planet of Viruses book
- Readers of pop science
- virologists
- government health officials
- biology students
- parents of immunocompromised children
- anyone worried about the next big virus
About the author of A Planet of Viruses
Carl Zimmer
Science writer Carl Zimmer is an adjunct professor at Yale University and has contributed numerous pieces to the New York Times, National Geographic, and Wired. He has written over a dozen books and won the Stephen Jay Gould Prize, as well as spending time as senior editor at Discover magazine, where he began his career reporting on scientific breakthroughs.
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