
The Viral Storm
The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age
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Narrated by:
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Robertson Dean
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By:
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Nathan Wolfe
About this listen
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.
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Critic reviews
Muy oportuno para entender el tema de los virus
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No ratings yet? Why? This was an amazing book.
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Excellent, well researched book!
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As for the book itself, there were some interesting parts. I never thought much about viruses other than they are pesky things that make people sick. However, I was fascinated to learn that viruses actually time their release (hence the reason they lie dormant at times) and transmission passage to enhance their success at continuing its life cycle and ensure the success of their offspring. Its actually a bit chilling to think of them in that way, like little villains living in your body going "aha, the perfect time for spreading myself around is here!" The symptoms of some viruses, such as coughing, sneezing, etc., are designed to make sure that they are spread and continue to survive.
The most chilling part of this book for me was when the author talks about microbes that keep him awake at night. This is a case of knowing too much; ignorance can be bliss at times. He knows what potential there is for new viruses to emerge, as well as bio terror or bio error, and I imagine that knowledge can be pretty darn scary.
The last section was fascinating in terms of using cell phone data to pinpoint where natural disaster events are occurring as well as internet search terms to determine if pandemics are going to be occurring. The prospect of a pandemic of these new super bugs is scary, but maybe with the forecasting techniques the author describes, it can be controlled.
Good Intro/Overview
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excellent and informative.
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Okay
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Nathan Wolfe PhD's "The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age" (2012) was a natural fit. if it weren't for the current Ebola outbreak making everyone interested in pandemics, I would wondered just how well Audible knew me. Wolfe isn't as amusing as Money, but I don't think Wolfe aims to be, and I don't think Money can play the serious guy, no matter how deadly on point he is.
Wolfe discusses HIV/AIDS at length. As a virus, it's intriguing and horrifying. It's mutable and recombinant - but it's transmitted by intimate contact and blood, so it's a relatively contained epidemic. So is HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that causes genital warts in some variations - and cervical cancer in others.
Wolfe presciently addresses the current Ebola outbreak two years before it happened. Some might say that Wolfe was making a lucky guess in "The Viral Storm," but Wolfe wasn't guessing. He knew what was coming, period; and he got the who, what, where and why pretty much right, too. Well, Wolfe didn't have actual names for the "who" but he got the professions/jobs/work of those who first contracted Ebola right, and he definitely has the "how" down. Ebola will burn itself out eventually - it's an inefficient transmitter but lethal, burning through its hosts fairly quickly and killing more than half of those it infects. The question is how many will it kill this time?
What makes Wolfe's book truly scary is the cleverness of the viruses. HIV/AIDS hid its hosts, and it took years to develop a diagnostic test. At the beginning of the epidemic, an HIV+ person could unknowingly infect those he or she loved, not discovering the illness for years. And Ebola - it doesn't just kill, it takes the loved ones who care for the infected, too. Viruses are small, with very little genetic material - and some can combine with other viruses to make a lethal new microbe. It's as if viruses are sentient and bent on taking over the world.
It's a fascinating, challenging, and so very frightening listen.
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Timely. Terrifying. True.
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Robertson Dean has a wonderful sonorous voice that lends a calming effect when Wolfe is explaining of the mortality rate of Cholera or the Hanta virus.
.....Global Viral Forecasting.....
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It has a bit of an academic tone and can be fairly heavy going, but it's very interesting and thought-provoking.
It's probably not too simplistic for scientists, and it's not too complex for the rest of us. Nathan Wolfe gets it just right.
It's thought-provoking and fascinating and has a good blend of the historical and the current.
I don't think I'll look at chimpanzees the same way again. Or hunting, for that matter.
Good Primer on Viruses
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Would you consider the audio edition of The Viral Storm to be better than the print version?
Never read the book, but the information gathered from the audiobook is both informative and eye openingUnbelievable!
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