Displaying 1 of 1 2022 Format: Book Author: Quammen, David, 1948- author. Title: Breathless : the scientific race to defeat a deadly virus / Daniel Quammen. Edition: First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition. Publisher, Date: New York : Simon & Schuster, 2022. ©2022 Description: viii, 406 pages ; 24 cm Summary: "The story of the worldwide scientific quest to decipher the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, trace its source, and make possible the vaccines to fight the Covid-19 pandemic"-- Provided by publisher. Subjects: COVID-19 (Disease) COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2023 COVID-19 vaccines. Coronavirus infections. Virus diseases. Communicable diseases. Epidemics. Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 359-394) and index. Contents: Citizens need not panic -- The warnings -- Message in a bottle -- Market dynamics -- Variables and constants -- Four kinds of magic -- The leopards of Mumbai -- Nobody knows everything. ISBN: 9781982164362 (hardcover) 1982164360 (hardcover) OCLC: 1345467309 System Availability: 4 # System items in: 2 # Local items: 1 # Local items in: 0 Current Holds: 0 Place Request Add to My List Expand All | Collapse All Availability Large Cover Image Trade Reviews Library Journal ReviewGiven how viruses have been leaping from animals to humans with ongoing ecosystem disruption, infectious disease experts have been predicting the current pandemic for two decades But their warnings were brushed aside for political or economic reasons, explains go-to science writer Quammen (Spillover), who drew on interviews with nearly 100 scientists worldwide for this chronicle.Publishers Weekly ReviewScience journalist Quammen (Spillover) recounts in page-turning detail the scientific response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many scientists, the author writes, have seen a covid-like pandemic coming for years, thanks in part to the 2003 SARS outbreak that ended up being something of "a rehearsal," though one that made "the significance of super-spreaders... painfully clear." But SARS-CoV-2, aka the virus that causes Covid-19, is different in its makeup, and parts of its genome made "the virus more capable of infecting humans." As well, Quammen breaks down how viruses jump from animals to humans, explains that "this virus is going to be with us forever" as it continues to adapt, and makes a convincing case that "we should stop thinking about the 'origin' of SARS-CoV-2, and proceed by thinking about its origins, plural." Terms, such as RNA, "variant," and "herd immunity" are accessibly explained, and the narrative is punctuated with vivid portraits of such scientists as Anthony Fauci; Zhengli Shi, a senior scientist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology; and molecular virologist Michael Worobey, who tracked the virus's evolution. This is a must-read for anyone looking to get a better handle on the pandemic so far. Agent: Amanda Urban, ICM Partners. (Oct.) Librarian's View Displaying 1 of 1
