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    The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age
    The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age
    The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age

    Written by Nathan Wolfe

    Narrated by Robertson Dean

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateOct 11, 2011
    ISBN9781452674438
    The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age
    Author

    Nathan Wolfe

    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. Wolfe 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. Wolfe was the recipient of a Fulbright fellowship in 1997 and 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. He is the author of the book The Viral Storm.

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    Reviews for The Viral Storm

    3.5/5

    19 ratings7 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I gave the book only 2 stars. Heard the interview with the author on NPR and was expecting much more from the book than it delivered. I was expecting something meaty about virus hunting. What I got was pablum. Which in viruses is a good thing, but not in books.
    • 3/5
      Is it normal to read a book about viruses and pandemics when in the midst of a pandemic? No? I know that many around me are anxious, and for valid reasons, but I wanted more factual information about what we might be up against. I haven't studied science since the early 1980's and so didn't want to read anything *too* technical. This book is about 1/3 factual, 2/3 memoir and very readable. Some basic information about viruses is given, followed by the various paths of virus transmission - both physical (through blood, bodily fluids, droplets, etc.) and socially (population density, travel, proximity to hunting of animals, etc). The author's experiences and opinions are intermixed. At the time of the writing the author was working methods to catch potential pandemics early and even had his own organization (Global Viral Forecasting) to do so. Looks like that organization took some new directions in 2019. Favorite quote: "Assuming that living in one location or courting a certain quality of life makes you immune from the risk of a pandemic is wrong." You said it Nathan. I didn't see this one coming (even with the news coming out of Wuhan in January 2020) and neither did a lot of people.
    • 5/5
      A great primer with appreciated perspective on a described looming possibility that came to fruition last year with the deadly, novel coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. I wonder if the world will take heed and better prepare for whatever comes next. I wonder why, in hindsight, I’m doubting it will. Nevertheless, we could all stand to have the framework of fundamental knowledge this book provides about the dangers and benefits of microbes.
    • 4/5
      Audio. Ratings aren't very high for this book, but I found it worked very well as an audiobook. It is not very technical, and, unsurprisingly, tends to focus on the author's own areas of research. He does a fair bit of name dropping, and promotion of his own organization and research, but it is all relevant to the subject.
    • 2/5
      I don't want to say that I'm a professional bug chaser or viral freak, but out of all the books I read and love about disease, viruses, infection, etc, this was my least favorite.
    • 2/5
      I am not sure what the central premise was, behind this book by Richard Preston. On the whole, I was disappointed by the book. I had the impression that Richard Preston was more intent in talking about himself, and less about the spread of viruses and disease. The book was full of anecdotes and stories. While entertaining, it did not serve the stated purpose of informing us how, and why, we will are faced with the prospect of an increasing number of pandemics. The section on the tools being developed to help us predict pandemics was vague. Finally, he did not discuss the societal and sociological aspects that impact the spread of disease. This is a disappointing book.
    • 4/5
      This book is probably better than the ratings on LibraryThing suggest. Having read enough of these types of books it was refreshing to read one by a top expert in the field who brings a multidisciplinary approach yet keeps it accessible to the average reader. This is not a journalist version made for movies. The ultimate purpose is to raise awareness for the need to predict outbreaks before they happen, something which Wolfe himself is attempting to build. It's a noble (Nobel) aim indeed so I can't fault the motivation, or even criticize the scheme. Probably the best analogy is this is a book long TED Talk.