Biography Of A Germ

Arno Karlen, author of Man and Microbes, focuses on a single bacterium in Biography of a Germ, giving us an intimate view of a life that has been shaped by and is in turn transforming our own. Borrelia burgdorferi is the germ that causes Lyme disease. In existence for some hundred million years, it was discovered only recently. Exploring its evolution, its daily existence, and its journey from ticks to mice to deer to humans, Karlen lucidly examines the life and world of this recently prominent germ. He also describes how it attacks the human body, and how by changing the environment, people are now much more likely to come into contact with it. Charming and thorough and smart, this book is a wonderfully written biography of your not so typical biographical subject.

An account of the life of the germ. Germs get a bad press, so we never hear their side of the story. What is life really like in their invisible kingdom? Arno Karlen tells the fascinating life story of the germ Borrelia burgdorferi(Bb for short), the microbe that causes Lyme disease. He takes us through its ancestry, its appearance, its environment, its sex life, its struggle for survival, and its adventures with other species, including us. Interwoven with Bb's biography are fascinating discursions on how life began, why we cannot live without bacteria, and how perturbed environments breed disease. Karlen also describes how perceptions of microbes have changed through history, especially their unfair connection with dirt and suffering.

Germs get a bad press, so we never hear their side of the story. What is life really like in their invisible kingdom? In this witty and erudite book, Arno Karlen tells the fascinating life story of the germ Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb for short), the microbe that causes Lyme disease. He takes us through its ancestry, its appearance, its environment, its sex life, its struggle for survival, and its adventures with other species, including us. Interwoven with Bb¿s biography are fascinating discursions on how life began, why we cannot live without bacteria, and how perturbed environments breed disease. Karlen also describes how perpeptions of microbes have changed through history, especially their unfair connection with dirt and suffering. And he pays homage to the pioneers of the microscope, who first saw germs¿ teeming universe, and to Linnaeus¿s beautifully constructed tree of life. The Biography of a Germ makes the world of microbiology absolutely riveting, and it will help to rehabilitate Bb¿s undeserved reputation. Exhilarating, entertaining and imaginative, this is popular science writing at its best. Praise for Plague¿s Progress: ¿Provides wonderful stories and marvellous images.¿ New Scientist ¿Excellent¿a combination of meticulous research and easy, natural writing.¿ Oliver Sacks

Traces the history of germs, discussing how germs have been viewed and treated throughout time and explains why germs now pose an even greater risk to mankind than ever before.

In the wake of the anthrax letters following the attacks on the World Trade Center, Americans have begun to grapple with two difficult truths: that there is no terrorist threat more horrifying -- and less understood -- than germ warfare, and that it would take very little to mount a devastating attack on American soil. In Germs, three veteran reporters draw on top sources inside and outside the U.S. government to lay bare Washington's secret strategies for combating this deadly threat. Featuring an inside look at how germ warfare has been waged throughout history and what form its future might take (and in whose hands), Germs reads like a gripping detective story told by fascinating key figures: American and Soviet medical specialists who once made germ weapons but now fight their spread, FBI agents who track Islamic radicals, the Iraqis who built Saddam Hussein's secret arsenal, spies who travel the world collecting lethal microbes, and scientists who see ominous developments on the horizon. With clear scientific explanations and harrowing insights, Germs is a masterfully written -- and timely -- work of investigative journalism.

Growing up in the 1830s, Louis Pasteur saw the horrifying effects of diseases like rabies and tuberculosis. Filled with curiosity and imagination, Pasteur began a lifelong search for answers to his many questions about diseases. Although many scientists disagreed with his unusual ideas, his discoveries made him famous. Through his dedication and insight, Pasteur saved millions of lives and laid the groundwork for future medical advancements.

If you breathe . . . It will find you. The list of 10,000 names was created for maximum devastation. Business leaders, housewives, politicians, celebrities, janitors, children. None of them is aware of what is about to happen--but all will be part of the most frightening brand of warfare the world has ever known. The germ--an advanced form of the Ebola virus--has been genetically engineered to infect only those people whose DNA matches the codes embedded within it. Those whose DNA is not a match simply catch a cold. But those who are a match experience a far worse fate. Within days, their internal organs liquify. Death is the only escape. The release of the virus will usher in a new era of power where countries are left without defense. Where a single person--or millions--could be killed with perfect accuracy and zero collateral damage. Where your own DNA works against you. The time isn't coming. It is now. Pray the assassins get you first.