Book review: A planet of viruses

Book review: A planet of viruses

Author: Carl Zimmer 

Review written by Samarpita Saha Chhnoa 

BRAC University

ID: 22301587 

 

 

This fascinating book explores the mystical world of viruses—a world that we all inhabit. In an exceptional way, the author reaches the theme - virus, in which, in so few words, he gives us a light on the world that is invisible to us. Here Carl Zimmer is a popular science writer, blogger, columnist and author of Discover magazine’s award-winning blog The Loom. In this eye-opening tour of the march of biology, where scientists are expanding our understanding of life as we know it, we learn that some treatments for the common cold may do more harm than good; that the world’s oceans are home to an astonishing number of viruses; and that the evolution of HIV is now in overdrive, spawning more mutated strains than we care to imagine. Zimmer starts the book with a deep dive into the cave of crystals. The cave was discovered in 2000. The scientist found ginormus gypsum crystal and a plethora of viruses. A drop of water from the pool in the cave has up to 2 million viruses, which is a fraction of the total number of viruses that have been discovered. In the rest of the introductory chapter, Zimmer explained the discovery of the very first known virus, the tobacco mosaic virus. In the books, Zimmer explores a very small part of the "virosphere." Scientists estimate that there are probably more than a trillion different species of viruses. And they only manage to categorize a few thousand of them. Then animal cells Typically, viruses are bundles of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) that are enclosed by a protein shell known as a casing. A virus survives by infecting a host cell and then rapidly producing thousands of copies of itself. Even not inside an infected cell or in the process of infecting a cell, viruses exist in the form of independent particles. "The Infected Ocean" is my favorite chapter because it discusses the incredible number and diversity of marine viruses. According to current estimates, "there are 100 billion times more viruses in the oceans than sand grains on all the world's beaches." But don't be alarmed! Only a few are capable of infecting humans. Many are phages that infect marine algae and bacteria, wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems. Not only do marine phages manage populations of potentially harmful bacteria such as Vibrio, a bacteria that causes cholera, but they also manage populations of algae and bacteria that produce a huge amount of the planet's oxygen. One thing I learned from this chapter and the following one, "Our Inner Parasites," is that viruses contribute to the present-day genomes of other organisms. For example, Synechococcus bacteria produce a huge amount of oxygen via photosynthesis. When scientists looked at the Synechococcus genome, they discovered that those genes that encode light-harvesting proteins likely came from viruses. Viruses can also exchange genetic material with human host cells, and scientists speculate that up to 8% of our DNA originated with viruses, which is definitely something to consider in conversations about human origins. The remaining part of the book, "The Viral Future," includes tales of virus hunters tracking down the origins of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the global spread of West Nile Virus, and recent viral pandemics. The final chapter talks about the history of vaccine discovery and the final extinction of smallpox. Undoubtedly, a mandatory book for those who want to know better the world we inhabit.