This is not the first time that we have highlighted the solvency of Carl Zimmer At Xataka Ciencia, we already did it with Parasites. Zimmer Carl Zimmer He is a popular science popularizer who has already published more than a dozen books on biology, medicine and neuroscience, in addition to being the author of one of the most prestigious blogs on science, The Loom.
So there is no one like him for an introduction to the fascinating world of viruses and their complicated relationship with human beings, as captured in this A planet of viruses.
Microbes
He 92 % of people do not know the difference between viruses and bacteria, according to an australian survey. For that reason alone, we should all read this succinct introduction to the story of how the smallest living beings known to science are capable of influencing humanity at all levels.
A planet of viruses (Essay)
Viruses, despite the pain they cause in many species, despite the fact that they decisively influence the planet, can also serve us. We should not so much eliminate them as live with them, establish more mutualistic relationships. Because viruses can also neutralize toxic bacteria, or are capable of producing the oxygen that we then breathe.
We're most familiar with viruses that give us colds or the flu, but viruses also cause a wide range of illnesses, including a disorder that causes the human body to sprout wart formations that resemble the bark of a tree. But viruses have been in our lives for so long that we are actually part virus: the human genome contains a large amount of virus DNA. Meanwhile, scientists continue to discover new viruses everywhere: in the soil, in the ocean or in caves miles below the surface. A Planet of Viruses presents the latest research on how viruses dominate our lives and our biosphere, how they helped give rise to the first forms of life, how they produce new diseases every day, and how we can use them to our advantage. A fascinating study that looks at threats such as Ebola and MERS, and explains, among many other issues, how climate change can cause even deadlier outbreaks in the future.
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The news
Books that inspire us: 'A Planet of Viruses' by Carl Zimmer
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.