Virusphere

A fascinating and long overdue examination of viruses – from what they are and what they do, to the vital role they have played in human history.

What are viruses? Are they living organisms? If so, how do we define them. Do they rely on genes, like all other forms of life? Do they follow the same patterns of evolution as plants and animals?

Frank Ryan answers these questions and many more in a sweeping tour of illnesses caused by viruses. For example, the common cold, measles, chicken pox, herpes and mumps, rubella, as well as less familiar examples, such as rabies, breakbone’ fever, haemorrhagic fevers like Ebola, and virus-induced cancers. Along the way, readers will learn about the behaviours and ultimate goals of viruses, gaining a deeper understanding of their importance in relation to the origins and the evolution of life, to their importance in the maintenance of the biosphere today – and perhaps of the greatest importance to readers, how viruses have changed us at the most intimate level, to help make us quintessentially human.

O examinare fascinanta si demult a virusilor - de la ceea ce sunt si ce fac, pana la rolul vital pe care l-au jucat in istoria omenirii. Ce sunt virusurile? Sunt organisme vii?