The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age - Hardcover

Wolfe, Nathan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805091947 ISBN 13: 9780805091946

Publisher: Times Books, 2011

Synopsis

Dynamic young Stanford biologist Nathan Wolfe reveals the surprising origins of the world's most deadly viruses, and how we can overcome catastrophic pandemics.

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 readers 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.

About this title

Review:

The world's most prominent virus hunter ... Nathan Wolfe's life conforms more to the pattern of a nineteenth-century explorer than to that of a twenty-first-century biologist (New Yorker)

What sets Wolfe apart is his swashbuckling style - he chooses to do most of his work in the field - combined with a flair for communication and negotiation (Nature)

About the Author:

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Times Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0805091947
• ISBN 13: 9780805091946
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304