Overview

In The Viral Storm, award-winning biologist Nathan 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. 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 Wolfe takes listeners 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 a world where each new outbreak seems worse than the one before, Wolfe points the way forward, as new technologies are 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. His provocative vision of the future will change the way we think about viruses, and perhaps remove a potential threat to humanity's survival.

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9798200088256

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Reviews

"By turns terrifying and comforting, The Viral Storm is a clear, riveting account of the threat of undiscovered viruses-- ""Mary Roach, author of Stiff"" ""A quietly terrifying book...It's hard not to feel a bit feverish at times while reading."" -- ""Boston Globe"" ""An engrossing and fast-paced chronicle of medical exploration and discovery."" -- ""Publishers Weekly"" ""From a well-traveled virologist, an eloquent argument for why we need better ways to predict and thus prevent major disease outbreaks...Wolfe's wide experience confronting killer diseases in Africa and Asia makes for important, graphic reading and underscores his passion for prevention."" -- ""Kirkus Reviews"" ""Highly recommend for all readers. This important book should be read by anyone wanting to stay informed on how global medical issues affect us all."" -- ""Library Journal"" ""Startling in its revelations of just how vulnerable we are to infectious outbreaks."" -- ""Bookpage"" ""This is an astonishingly lucid book on an important topic. Deeply researched, yet effortlessly recounted, Wolfe's mix of biology, history, medicine, and first-hand experience is potent and irresistible. This is a book that you cannot put down. In the tradition of Laurie Garrett's The Coming Plague, Wolfe's work will change the way we imagine and patrol human epidemics."" -- ""Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies"" ""Wolfe's message is both compelling and timely...Wolfe graphically illustrates how viruses can hitchhike their way from benign passenger to poison, from lone gunman to mass murderer. Luckily he and his international microbiologist cohorts are hot onto ways not only to track viral outbreaks and head them off but also convert them into human helpers--vaccines."" -- ""Booklist"""

Author Information

Nathan Wolfe is the Lorry I. Lokey Visiting Professor in Human Biology at Stanford University and director of Global Viral Forecasting, a pandemic early warning system which monitors the spillover of novel infectious agents from animals into humans. He has been published in or profiled by Nature, Science, the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Economist, Wired, Discover, Scientific American, NPR, Popular Science, Seed, and Forbes. The recipient of a Fulbright fellowship in 1997, Nathan was awarded the National Institutes of Health (NIH) International Research Scientist Development Award in 1999 and the prestigious NIH Director's Pioneer Award in 2005. Robertson Dean has acted on- and off-Broadway, and in many leading roles at regional theaters throughout the United States. His film work includes Star Trek(R) Nemesis and Vanilla Sky.

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