Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic
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4.3 • 171 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A masterpiece of science reporting that tracks the animal origins of emerging human diseases, Spillover is “fascinating and terrifying … a real-life thriller with an outcome that affects us all” (Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction).
In 2020, the novel coronavirus gripped the world in a global pandemic and led to the death of hundreds of thousands. The source of the previously unknown virus? Bats. This phenomenon—in which a new pathogen comes to humans from wildlife—is known as spillover, and it may not be long before it happens again.
Prior to the emergence of our latest health crisis, renowned science writer David Quammen was traveling the globe to better understand spillover’s devastating potential. For five years he followed scientists to a rooftop in Bangladesh, a forest in the Congo, a Chinese rat farm, and a suburban woodland in New York, and through high-biosecurity laboratories. He interviewed survivors and gathered stories of the dead. He found surprises in the latest research, alarm among public health officials, and deep concern in the eyes of researchers.
Spillover delivers the science, the history, the mystery, and the human anguish of disease outbreaks as gripping drama. And it asks questions more urgent now than ever before: From what innocent creature, in what remote landscape, will the Next Big One emerge? Are pandemics independent misfortunes, or linked? Are they merely happening to us, or are we somehow causing them? What can be done? Quammen traces the origins of Ebola, Marburg, SARS, avian influenza, Lyme disease, and other bizarre cases of spillover, including the grim, unexpected story of how AIDS began from a single Cameroonian chimpanzee. The result is more than a clarion work of reportage. It’s also the elegantly told tale of a quest, through time and landscape, for a new understanding of how our world works—and how we can survive within it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Quammen (The Song of the Dodo) is a masterful writer who adroitly blends science and journalism, speculation and fact, as well as horror and humor in his latest tour de force. He traverses the globe exploring cases in which animal-borne diseases somehow jump to humans, often with devastating consequences. This cross-species transmission of disease the spillover of the book s title has happened for the 200,000 years modern humans have been present on the earth, but the frequency and consequences of such events have been increasing dramatically in recent years. According to Quammen, diseases of this sort are responsible for the death of more than 29 million people since 1981. And, as he explains so well, these diseases represent the unintended results of things we are doing. Environmental destruction, burgeoning human populations, increased mobility, and extremely different patterns of food production are all part of his story. Quammen is adept at describing the epidemiology, anthropology, and molecular biology of SARS, AIDS, Ebola, and a host of other frightening maladies. His profiles of researchers, both in the lab and in the field, are every bit as compelling as are his descriptions of those unlucky enough to catch one of these dreadful diseases. This is a frightening but critically important book for anyone interested in learning about the prospects of the world s next major pandemic.
Customer Reviews
Intriguing
I thought that this book was absolutely intriguing. It was very informative and scientific of course, but the author does an amazing job of turning this very factual and informative book into a story as well. It was very fun to read and I couldn't put it down. You won't go wrong reading this book, so if your thinking about buying it because the picture on the front is so awesome but your worried what's inside isn't, don't worry, you won't be let down. Just be aware that if your not into learning then you won't like this book. Zoonosis, the main topic of the book, is something all of Earth's citizens should be aware of, because like he mentions in this text, if your not to sure what zoonosis is now, don't worry, it won't be long before it's a household word, and how right he is! To win a war you must have knowledge, and make no mistake about it, the war on humans is very real, with the enemy being nature itself! If your worried that this book might be apocalyptic, don't be, it's not. The author just wants the reader, and the world for that matter, to be informed of the very real danger that biological specimens pose on the human-animal! Thanks Mr. Quammen for this amazing book. I'm thinking about doing graduate studies in virology because of this book!
A great story
Easy to read a great story teller. Explains everything.
Like an adventurous textbook
A co-worker gave me a hard copy of this book and I wanted more when I finished. As a physician and someone who is planning how to re-open a university after coronavirus, I feel better equipped after reading this book. There are a lot of “Hey, I never heard of that deadly virus” moments. The author seems to throw weird SAT worthy vocab every 10 pages, so be prepared. A great read with so much historical and scientific information. Only one equation, but that one plays out during the whole book.