The Viral Storm

Do you think you know all about the risk of a global pandemic? The threat could be far greater than we had ever imagined. In this important new book, award-winning biologist Nathan Wolfe examines the world of viruses and points the way forward, examining how new technologies can be brought to bear in the most remote areas of the world to neutralize these viruses and even harness their power for the good of humanity. Wolfe's research missions to the jungles of Africa and the rain forests of Borneo have earned him the nickname 'the Indiana Jones of virus hunters', and here he takes readers along on his groundbreaking and often dangerous research trips to reveal the surprising origins of the most deadly diseases and to explain the role that viruses have played in human evolution. In "The Viral Storm", Wolfe tells the story of how viruses and human beings have evolved side by side through history; how deadly viruses like HIV, swine flu, and bird flu almost wiped us out in the past; and, why modern life has made our species vulnerable to the threat of a global pandemic. His provocative vision of the future will change the way we think about viruses, and may even remove a potential threat to the survival of humanity itself.

ISBN 1846142989   Pages 320 ISBN13 9781846142987 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 419 Publisher Penguin Books Ltd   Published in London Imprint Allen Lane   Height (mm) 234 Format Hardback   Width (mm) 153 Publication date 27 Oct 2011   Spine width (mm) 23 DEWEY 614.4   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC22

The world's most prominent virus hunter ... Nathan Wolfe's life conforms more to the pattern of a nineteenth-century explorer than to that of a twenty-first-century biologist New Yorker What sets Wolfe apart is his swashbuckling style - he chooses to do most of his work in the field - combined with a flair for communication and negotiation Nature

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