Microbiology (non-medical) Books

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis“Engrossing … [An] expedition through the hidden and sometimes horrifying microbial domain.” —Wall Street Journal “Fascinating—and full of the kind of factoids you can't wait to share.” —Scientific American   Parasites can live only inside another animal and, as Kathleen McAuliffe reveals, these tiny organisms have many evolutionary motives for manipulating the behavior of their hosts. With astonishing precision, parasites can coax rats to approach cats, spiders to transform the patterns of their webs, and fish to draw the attention of birds that then swoop down to feast on them. We humans are hardly immune to their influence. Organisms we pick up from our own pets are strongly suspected of changing our personality traits and contributing to recklessness and impulsivity—even suicide. Germs that cause colds and the flu may alter our behavior even before symptoms become apparent.   Parasites influence our species on the cultural level, too. Drawing on a huge body of research, McAuliffe argues that our dread of contamination is an evolved defense against parasites. The horror and revulsion we are programmed to feel when we come in contact with people who appear diseased or dirty helped pave the way for civilization, but may also be the basis for major divisions in societies that persist to this day. This Is Your Brain on Parasites is both a journey into cutting-edge science and a revelatory examination of what it means to be human.  “If you’ve ever doubted the power of microbes to shape society and offer us a grander view of life, read on and find yourself duly impressed.” —Heather Havrilesky, Bookforum Trade Review"If you've ever doubted the power of microbes to shape society and offer us a grander view of life, read on and find yourself duly impressed."-BookForum “A fascinating account of an extraordinary suite of biological phenomena, only recently come to light and proving that given enough time and enough evolving species to work with, natural selection can accomplish almost anything.” -Edward O. Wilson, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University, author of Consilience. “This book has all the elements of a crime thriller: violence, blood, gore, race and sex. But here the criminals are parasites. McAuliffe tells a vivid and sometimes horrifying tale of the hijackers that control our brains and our behaviour. In company with the best science writers, she shows us that reality can be way more interesting than fiction.” -Valerie Curtis, Director of the Environmental Health Group of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and author of Don’t Look, Don’t Touch, Don’t Eat “Be prepared to throw away all your preconceptions about the order of life. Humorous, inspiring and macabre—this is infectious reading in the tradition of giants like Robert S. Desowitz and Jared Diamond.” -Michael A Huffman, associate professor, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University "From start to finish, [McAuliffe] spins a consistently engrossing tale of invasive creatures that can alter your behavior and outlook, depress your cognitive functioning, and even make you more violent or sexually aggressive." -- Heather Havrilesky, Book Forum —

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisMichael T. Madigan has taught courses in introductory Microbiology and Bacterial Diversity for 33 years as a Professor of Microbiology at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Mike's research focuses on phototrophic bacteria that inhabit extreme environments, and for the past 20 years, his emphasis has been Antarcticmicrobiology. Kelly S. Bender is' an Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and has served as Chair of the SIUC Department of Microbiology since 2018. Kelly teaches courses in introductory Microbiology and Microbial Diversity, and her lab studies a range of topics, including regulation of sulphate-reducing bacteria and the microbial community dynamics of sites impacted by acid mine drainage. Daniel H. Buckley is a Professor at Cornell University in the School of Integrative Plant Science and the Department of Microbiology. He has taught both introductory and advanced courses i

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe author team of Prescott's Microbiology continues to provide a modern approach to microbiology using evolution as a framework. This new 12th edition integrates impactful new changes to include a fresh new design to engage students and important content updates including SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 which are prominently featured, taxonomic schemes that have been extensively revised, recent epidemiological data, and mRNA vaccines which just scrapes the surface of this new edition.Table of ContentsPart One Introduction to MicrobiologyChapter: 1. The Evolution of Microorganisms and MicrobiologyChapter: 2. MicroscopyChapter: 3. Bacterial Cell StructureChapter: 4. Archaeal Cell StructureChapter: 5. Eukaryotic Cell StructureChapter: 6. Viruses and Other Acellular Infectious AgentsPart Two Microbial Nutrition, Growth, and ControlChapter: 7. Bacterial and Archaeal GrowthChapter: 8. Control of Microorganisms in the EnvironmentChapter: 9. Antimicrobial ChemotherapyPart Three Microbial MetabolismChapter: 10. Introduction to MetabolismChapter: 11. Catabolism: Energy Release and ConservationChapter: 12. Anabolism: The Use of Energy in BiosynthesisPart Four Microbial Molecular Biology and GeneticsChapter: 13. Bacterial Genome Replication and ExpressionChapter: 14. Regulation of Cellular ProcessesChapter: 15. Eukaryotic and Archaeal Genome Replication and ExpressionChapter: 16. Mechanisms of Genetic VariationChapter: 17. Microbial DNA TechnologiesChapter: 18. Microbial GenomicsPart Five The Diversity of the Microbial WorldChapter: 19. ArchaeaChapter: 20. Nonproteobacterial Gram-Negative BacteriaChapter: 21. ProteobacteriaChapter: 22. Gram-Positive BacteriaChapter: 23. ProtistsChapter: 24. FungiChapter: 25. VirusesPart Six Ecology and SymbiosisChapter: 26. Exploring Microbes in EcosystemsChapter: 27. Microbial InteractionsChapter: 28. Biogeochemical Cycling and Global Climate ChangeChapter: 29. Microorganisms in Marine and Freshwater EcosystemsChapter: 30. Microorganisms in Terrestrial EcosystemsPart Seven Pathogenicity and Host ResponseChapter: 31. Innate Host ResistanceChapter: 32. Adaptive ImmunityChapter: 33. The Microbe-Human EcosystemChapter: 34. Infection and Pathogenicity Part Eight Microbial Diseases, Detection, and Their ControlChapter: 35. Epidemiology and Public Health MicrobiologyChapter: 36. Clinical Microbiology and ImmunologyChapter: 37. Human Diseases Caused by Viruses and PrionsChapter: 38. Human Diseases Caused by BacteriaChapter: 39. Human Diseases Caused by Fungi and ProtistsPart Nine Applied MicrobiologyChapter: 40. Microbiology of FoodChapter: 41. Biotechnology and Industrial MicrobiologyChapter: 42. Applied Environmental MicrobiologyAppendix 1 A Review of the Chemistry of Biological MoleculesAppendix 2 Common Metabolic PathwaysAppendix 3 Microorganism Pronunciation Guide

Read more less

Book SynopsisA microscope is a gateway to another dimension, allowing us to explore the fascinating realm of microorganisms. From the colonies of green algae that grace the cover of this book, to bacteria, cellular structures and protozoa – an entire world of life, almost limitless and yet invisible to the naked eye, awaits through the lens of a microscope. Until now there has been no book that offers easy access to the exciting and mind-expanding world of microscopy. Practical, compact and accessible, this guide is written especially for beginners. It provides help in learning the correct use of a microscope and the production of preparations. Structured clearly in 25 short chapters, it allows the reader to progress in manageable stages. Each step focuses on a particular theme, introducing the relevant techniques. From illumination to observation, from slide preparation to staining, this book supplies all the building blocks needed for skilled use of microscopes. With this step-by-step approach, the way into the wonderful visual universe of the miniature becomes very simple, even if your first microscope is only a budget model: most of the activities suggested here work using a basic instrument without the more sophisticated accessories. Indeed, the history of microscopy shows that discoveries of great significance have been possible even with rather modest equipment. And this is just as true today. Illustrated throughout with photographs and diagrams, this book is the perfect companion as you discover the richness of microscopic life.Table of ContentsForeword Preface Introduction: Why use a microscope? Creating your own micro-laboratory 1. Structure of the microscope 2. How to use your microscope 3. Light – transmitter of information 4. Orders of magnitude 5. Three-dimensional images 6. Brownian movement 7. Simple wet mounts 8. Preparation by squashing 9. Tissue under the lens 10. Animal cells 11. Plasma flows and oblique lighting 12. Osmotic processes 13. Documentation 14. Tiny aquatic creatures 15. Cocci and bacilli 16. Preparing sections 17. Plant organs 18. Woody tissues 19. Distinctive animal tissues 20. Making permanent specimens 21. Surface examination 22. Investigating polarised light 23. Thin sections 24. Dusts and Rheinberg illumination 25. Microscopic photographs Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis'A brilliant book [that] shows a way out of the destructive trap of Anthropocentric arrogance.' Vandana Shiva, from the Foreword 'Read this book if you would like to understand the intelligence of living systems.' Dr Denis Noble, University of Oxford ‘A welcoming yet fiercely challenging and provocative read shining a light on the way we look at the science of life.’ LoveReading What is life? This is arguably the fundamental question in all of science, and yet many scientists believe that life can be reduced to mechanistic factors, such as genes and information codes. But in a world as rich and complex as this one, can such an assertion really be true? Biocivilisations is a thrillingly original look at the mystery of life and a recognition of the complex civilisations of bacteria, viruses, fungi, plants and animals that have preceded the human world by billions of years. Dr Predrag Slijepčević, senior lecturer in the Department of Life Sciences at Brunel University, reconsiders the limited scope and timeframe of our current ‘scientific revolution’ and shares how – from the tiniest bacteria to the largest mammals – the living world has long fostered ancient biocivilisations: how ants practice agriculture, how insects perform surgery, how trees conduct research, how slime moulds build networks as complex as our modern transportations systems and more. More than 99.99 percent of life on Earth has existed without humanity and life will continue without humans long into the future. Biocivilisations challenges us to reconsider the limited scope and time-window of our current ‘scientific revolution’ and to fundamentally reimagine what we call ‘life on Earth’ by posing a powerful question: Are we really the intelligent masters over nature we think we are? Trade Review'A prodigious synthesis and a great, ambitious and informative book dovetailing multiple fields in its effort – largely successful I think – to light a match – and then blow on the fires of the coming "Copernican biological revolution."' Dorion Sagan'Read this book if you would like to understand the intelligence of living systems. Civilisation did not just start with Homo sapiens. Life cannot be reduced to pure mechanism.' Dr Denis Noble, Emeritus Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology, University of Oxford; Fellow of the Royal Society; 2022 Lomonosov Grand Gold Medal laureate'In Biocivilisations, Predrag Slijepčević tells stories about animals that create art, insects that do battlefield surgery, trees that perform scientific research, bacteria that create intelligent networks, and whole ecosystems that are organized with an efficiency that surpasses any human supply chain. Maybe you thought humans were the crown of creation. Maybe we humans have to learn humility and respect for the biosphere that birthed us. Maybe our future depends on it.' Josh Mitteldorf, PhD, coauthor of Cracking the Aging Code'Predrag Slijepčević’s Biocivilisations: A New Look at the Science of Life offers a powerful and welcome synthesis of what we ought by now to be happy to call Gaian science. It brings together crucial developments in biological systems thinking – such as symbiogenesis, epigenetics, biosemiotics, Gaia theory and autopoiesis – under a comprehensive vision founded on the cosmological longevity and cognitive acumen of the bacterial microcosm and its planetary offspring: multicellular life in all of its forms and alliances. Biocivilisations vigorously dismantles modern strains of scientific and cultural anthropocentrism and their current avatars peddling the futurist delusions of Singularity buffs and AI transhumanists. Slijepčević’s presentation of these crucial and heady matters is properly technical but consistently readable and deeply documented. His approach to science participates in a poetic spirit he perceives everywhere in a terrestrial biosphere that has risen for over four billion years to collective, eventually cross-kingdom consortia such as the ‘Wood Wide Web’ revealed by the new forest ecology. The environmental constructions of such biocivilisations long precede the human elaboration of its own technosphere. I highly recommend Slijepčević’s Biocivilisations for those who would like to get effectively up to speed on the most cogent contemporary challenges to the physicalist-mechanistic technoscientific mainstream.' Bruce Clarke, Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor of Literature and Science, Texas Tech University, Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology‘Biocivilizations is an unusually thought-provoking and ambitious book. It challenges the reader to abandon several centuries of assumptions about how to describe the living world in purely physical and mechanistic terms, a world governed by an evolutionary process that places human beings at the apex.’ Dr. James A. Shapiro, author of Evolution: A View from the 21st Century'Sentience, cognition and intelligence are emerging as inherent faculties of all life which has evolved on the Earth. Most of these living systems are much older than humanity and obviously are well integrated to support life. In Biocivilisations, Predrag Slijepčević makes clear that the sentient life is essential for the habitability of our planet and that humans should step down from the so-called crown of evolution model in order to appreciate our true position within the complex network of life. Only then will our civilization improve its rather doomed prospects for survival.' Dr František Baluška, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Bonn"Constructed with care, [Slijepčević's] arguments integrate hundreds of examples from the natural world . . . The prose is solid, impassioned, and informed. . . . [and] by defying entrenched and arrogant assumptions about human superiority, the book shows that people have much to learn from creatures like ants and bacteria." Foreword Reviews"Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, and as fascinating as it is informative, thoughtful, and thought-provoking, "Biocivilisations: A New Look at the Science of Life" will have a very special appeal and relevance to readers with an interest in bacteriology, microbiology, evolution, nature and ecology." Midwest Book Review

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Hugely entertaining' Guardian'Fascinating' Mail on SundayIn 1882, Jean-Martin Charcot was the premiere physician in Paris, having just established a neurology clinic at the infamous Salpêtrière Hospital, a place that was called a 'grand asylum of human misery'. Assessing the dismal conditions, he quickly upgraded the facilities, and in doing so, revolutionized the treatment of mental illness. Many of Charcot's patients had neurosyphilis (the advanced form of syphilis), a disease of mad poets, novelists, painters, and musicians, and a driving force behind the overflow of patients in Europe's asylums. A sexually transmitted disease, it is known as 'the great imitator' since its symptoms resemble those of almost any biological disease or mental illness. It is also the perfect lens through which to peel back the layers to better understand the brain and the mind. Yet, Charcot's work took a bizarre turn when he brought mesmerism - hypnotism - into his clinic, abandoning his pursuit of the biological basis of illness in favour of the far sexier and theatrical treatment of female 'hysterics', whose symptoms mimic those seen in brain disease, but were elusive in origin. This and a general fear of contagion set the stage for Sigmund Freud, whose seductive theory, Freudian analysis, brought sex and hysteria onto the psychiatrist couch, leaving the brain behind. How The Brain Lost Its Mind tells this rich and compelling story, and raises a host of philosophical and practical questions. Are we any closer to understanding the difference between a sick mind and a sick brain? The real issue remains: where should neurology and psychiatry converge to explore not just the brain, but the nature of the human psyche?Trade ReviewAbsorbing and scholarly... A twin biography of psychiatry and neurology, their study charts this uneasy relationship from marriage to divorce to reconciliation even as fundamental questions about the nature of mental illness remain... Hugely entertaining. * Guardian *A rollicking ride, patient by patient, through the history of two conditions, hysteria and neurosyphilis. * The Times *Central to this book is the ongoing dispute regarding which mental illnesses can be attributed to physical abnormalities within the brain and which originate in the mind, or consciousness. The authors emphasise that in many cases we still cannot be sure... Along the way, their investigations exhume some unforgettable scenes and characters... Fascinating * Mail on Sunday *Rich, compassionate and passionate... Sceptical of the excesses of both psychological and biological reductionism, it is a refreshing call for an intellectual reset and disciplinary rapprochement. -- Anne Harrington * Nature *This aptly titled book picks up where Oliver Sacks left off in examining the behavioral characteristics of neurobehavioral syndromes in an effort to span the gap that has historically separated the twin disciplines of the brain, neurology and psychiatry. * Jeffrey A. Lieberman, author of Shrinks: The Untold Story of Psychiatry *Through tales of eminent physicians and their suffering patients, replete with sex, drugs, and magnetically-induced hypnotism, we learn how a bacterium that deprived countless souls of their reason also helped scientists discover a role for brain biology in mental illness. * Alan Jasanoff, PhD, author of The Biological Mind *Ropper and Burrell have written an insightful, fantastically readable analysis of what was once called "hysteria." Also, by studying how things can go wrong, we learn a great deal about the working of the human mind when things go right. * Elizabeth Loftus, author of Eyewitness Testimony *Table of Contents0: INTRODUCTION 1: A CLINICAL LESSON 2: WHAT IS A DISEASE? 3: PYGMALION AND GALATEA 4: THE INVENTION OF HYSTERIA 5: THE PAPUAN IDOL 6: HEARTS OF DARKNESS 7: THE SOUL OF A NEW DISEASE 8: THE UNSETTLED TERRITORIES OF THE MIND 9: THE DIFFICULT CASE OF ANNA O. 10: THE DEVIL AND ADRIAN LEVERKÜHN 11: SEX AND THE NEW WOMAN 12: WINNING THE BATTLE AND LOSING THE WAR 13: THE PSYCHIC INTERPRETATION OF DISEASE 14: A BEAUTIFUL NAME FOR A HORRIBLE DISEASE 15: MEDICINAL LOBOTOMY: THE INVENTION OF THORAZINE 16: THE FEVERED DREAM OF A SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY 17: THE LESSONS OF NEUROSYPHILIS

Read more less

Book SynopsisFor readers of Plague of Corruption, Thomas S. Cowan, MD, and Sally Fallon Morell ask the question: are there really such things as "viruses"? Or are electro smog, toxic living conditions, and 5G actually to blame for COVID-19? The official explanation for today’s COVID-19 pandemic is a “dangerous, infectious virus.” This is the rationale for isolating a large portion of the world’s population in their homes so as to curb its spread. From face masks to social distancing, from antivirals to vaccines, these measures are predicated on the assumption that tiny viruses can cause serious illness and that such illness is transmissible person-to-person. It was Louis Pasteur who convinced a skeptical medical community that contagious germs cause disease; his “germ theory” now serves as the official explanation for most illness. However, in his private diaries he states unequivocally that in his entire career he was not once able to transfer disease with a pure culture of bacteria (he obviously wasn’t able to purify viruses at that time). He admitted that the whole effort to prove contagion was a failure, leading to his famous death bed confession that “the germ is nothing, the terrain is everything.” While the incidence and death statistics for COVID-19 may not be reliable, there is no question that many people have taken sick with a strange new disease—with odd symptoms like gasping for air and “fizzing” feelings—and hundreds of thousands have died. Many suspect that the cause is not viral but a kind of pollution unique to the modern age—electromagnetic pollution. Today we are surrounded by a jangle of overlapping and jarring frequencies—from power lines to the fridge to the cell phone. It started with the telegraph and progressed to worldwide electricity, then radar, then satellites that disrupt the ionosphere, then ubiquitous Wi-Fi. The most recent addition to this disturbing racket is fifth generation wireless—5G. In The Truth About Contagion: Exploring Theories of How Disease Spreads, bestselling authors Thomas S. Cowan, MD, and Sally Fallon Morell explore the true causes of COVID-19. On September 26, 2019, 5G wireless was turned on in Wuhan, China (and officially launched November 1) with a grid of about ten thousand antennas—more antennas than exist in the whole United States, all concentrated in one city. A spike in cases occurred on February 13, the same week that Wuhan turned on its 5G network for monitoring traffic. Illness has subsequently followed 5G installation in all the major cities in America. Since the dawn of the human race, medicine men and physicians have wondered about the cause of disease, especially what we call “contagions,” numerous people ill with similar symptoms, all at the same time. Does humankind suffer these outbreaks at the hands of an angry god or evil spirit? A disturbance in the atmosphere, a miasma? Do we catch the illness from others or from some outside influence? As the restriction of our freedoms continues, more and more people are wondering whether this is true. Could a packet of RNA fragments, which cannot even be defined as a living organism, cause such havoc? Perhaps something else is involved—something that has upset the balance of nature and made us more susceptible to disease? Perhaps there is no “coronavirus” at all; perhaps, as Pasteur said, “the germ is nothing, the terrain is everything.”

Read more less

Book Synopsis"An invaluable portrait of the evolution of international health in recent decades." —William Bynum, Wall Street JournalTrade Review"An invaluable portrait of the evolution of international health in recent decades…We need more people like Peter Piot who will rise to the occasion with spirit and passion." -- William Bynum - Wall Street Journal"[A] fascinating account of the complex behavioural responses that epidemics trigger among their human hosts." -- José Esparza - Nature"From laboratories to field epidemiology, boardrooms and political chambers, [No Time To Lose] charts an incredibly impactful career in science and the fine arts of diplomacy, communication and political engagement in difficult situations." -- Chikwe Ihekweazu - Nature"Insightful." -- Andrew Jack - Financial Times"A riveting read." -- Laurie Garrett - The Lancet"A timely and accessible memoir…enthralling reading…will appeal to budding young scientists." -- Booklist (starred review)"Piot helped assure that affordable drugs revolutionizing AIDS treatment would be available to the poorest victims. He leaves a legacy of change and hope in two worlds—medicine and politics—and an urgent reminder that their cooperation saves lives." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Read more less

Book SynopsisBrings together the various discoveries of microbiology. Of interest to general readers, this book provides a view of evolution as a process based on interdependency and their interconnectedness of life on the planet.Trade Review"A luminous prose style. . . . Clear, evocative, and, at its best, dense with realities rather than concepts or opinions, [Microcosmos] grips the serious reader in a way that transcends both science and science journalism." * New York Times Book Review *"Microcosmos is a book for all to read. Although the ideas expressed with such clarity and enthusiasm in this enthralling volume are soundly based on current scientific research they are couched in a language that anyone with a smattering of biology can easily grasp. . . . Microcosmos is a book packed with information and fascinating detail, but all of it to the purpose of demonstrating how life forms are interwoven with each other." * The Ecologist *"A fascinating, engrossing, superbly written account. . . . Makes the story of evolution—including very recent findings—accessible." * Los Angeles Times *"A stunning, complex chronicle . . . proposing that only an understanding of the microcosm from which life sprang can make possible our ultimate leap beyond Earth into a human-devised supercosm." * Publishers Weekly *"First published in 1986, Microcosmos is already regarded as a seminal book in its field." * Hartford Courant *Table of ContentsForeword by Lewis Thomas (1986) Preface (1997) Acknowledgments Introduction: The Microcosm 1. Out of the Cosmos 2. The Animation of Matter 3. The Language of Nature 4. Entering the Microcosm 5. Sex and Worldwide Genetic Exchange 6. The Oxygen Holocaust 7. New Cells 8. Living Together 9. The Symbiotic Brain 10. The Riddle of Sex 11. Late Bloomers: Animals and Plants 12. Egocentric Man 13. The Future Supercosm Notes Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisPaul A. Offit shares hard-earned wisdom on the dos and don’ts of battling misinformation. From conspiracy theories linking vaccines to autism to Holocaust and climate-change denial. Bad Advice is a humorous guide to taking on quack experts and self-appointed activists and a must-read for any American disturbed by politicized attacks on science.Trade ReviewIn breezy and deceptively conversational prose that often winks with humor, Bad Advice breaks down complex scientific subjects that have been distorted through several cultural lenses. Offit takes to task actors, network news anchors, quack scientists, and even politicians who, unlike Jolie in her thoughtful article, have opined on scientific subjects in ways that misinform the public, on occasion to a potentially dangerous degree. * Washington Post *Bad advice about your health, firmly grounded in fact-free marketing, greed, and science denialism, is omnipresent in the new and old media these days. One of the few reliable sources of good advice is Dr. Paul A. Offit who, unlike all too many scientists and doctors, is ready to take on the hype and lies of celebrities, charlatans, ideologues, and money-grubbers with logic, evidence, and humor. Take my advice: Bad Advice is just what you need to navigate the murky waters of an unending stream of really bad information about your health. -- Arthur L. Caplan, Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor of Bioethics, New York University School of MedicineBad Advice gives us a front row seat to Offit’s role on the leading edge of the vaccine fight as he shows just how important communicating good science can be. The author's rare storytelling blend of equal parts humorous anecdotes and serious facts leads to an entertaining and captivating read that is hard to put down. -- Melissa Stockwell, MD, MPH, Columbia University Medical CenterPaul Offit is a pediatrician, a vaccine scientist, and one of our foremost explainers of science. In Bad Advice, he distills what he has learned—often the hard way—from standing up for science in the face of bogus theories, quack remedies, and the flat-out denial of empirical fact. Skillfully, Offit uses stories of his many missteps in the treacherous public arena to teach us how to confront pseudoscience effectively. In the process, without noticing, we learn fascinating lessons in the relevant science. A forcefully-written, indispensable book, particularly at the present moment. -- Geoffrey Kabat, cancer epidemiologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and author of Getting Risk Right: Understanding the Science of Elusive Health RisksWith humor and a unique perspective, Offit takes us step by step through our culture’s missteps (and some of his own), relating stories of real science and the difficulties of communicating complicated concepts clearly to a skeptical and sometimes hostile public. Bad Advice shows us how we can succeed in the battle against pseudoscience, seductive gurus with simple messages, and snake oil-hawking celebrities. -- Adam Ratner, M.D., New York UniversityThe beauty of mass communication in our free society is also our curse. Information flows so quickly, from so many different sources, that one can’t help but be overwhelmed—and too frequently misled. No one has fought harder over the years to educate the public, and to puncture the dangerously false dogmas of pseudoscience, than Paul Offit. Bad Advice is a brilliant extension of his dictate, so aptly stated by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, that one is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts. Celebrities and politicians bear the brunt of Offit’s elegantly written, often hilarious, pinpoint assaults. But what makes this book truly special is its vision of how science can, and must, be defended against its despoilers. Bad Advice is, in every sense, an essential read. -- David Oshinsky, director of the Division of Medical Humanities at NYU School of MedicineBad Advice is a fun and educational book that will leave readers optimistic—as Offit himself is—that fact will ultimately prevail over fiction in the world of science and medicine. “Although science is under siege,” Offit writes toward the end of the book, “science advocates are fighting back.” -- Arlene Weintraub, author of Heal: The Vital Role of Dogs in the Search for Cancer Cures * New York Journal of Books *[Bad Advice] provides a sterling example of this stand in the name of empirical truth. * Publishers Weekly *A well-presented, knowledgeable, and surprisingly engaging look at the pitfalls of the information age. * Foreword Reviews *The author's droll account of attempts to inform the public about vaccines and even before a congressional hearing make for compelling reading....Recommended * Choice *Table of ContentsPrologue: On Being Naïve1. What Science Is—and What It Isn’t2. White Mice and Windowless Rooms3. An Alibi for Ignorance4. Feeding the Beast5. To Debate or Not to Debate6. Make ’Em Laugh7. Science Goes to the Movies8. The Emperor’s New Clothes9. Judgment Day10. The Nuclear Option11. Pharma Shill12. A Ray of HopeEpilogue: The End of the TourAcknowledgmentsAppendix: Blogs and PodcastsNotesSelected BibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisMicroscopic organisms are as important to plant growth as water and light. Microbe Science for Gardeners highlights the essential role of microbes in plant biosystems and health, provides practical how-to gardening advice for enhancing plant microbiomes and preventing disease, and debunks common gardening myths.Trade Review"Robert Pavlis' newest book, Microbe Science for Gardeners beautifully breaks it down in his usual no-nonsense way. If you want to learn anything about the science of soil, and what's in it, this book will help you easily understand the vital role microbes play in bringing soil (and everything growing in it) to life!" –Joe Lamp'l, founder, joegardener.com, The Online Gardening Academy™, creator/ executive producer, Growing a Greener World® "Robert Pavlis' Microbe Science for Gardeners is an accessible and understandable dive into the amazing relationship between microbes and plants. Useful and practical gardening advice." –Jeff Lowenfels, author, the Teaming Series and DIY Autoflowering Cannabis "Microbe Science for Gardeners is deeply in-tune with the current science and Pavlis also introduces us to lesser-known and developing ideas in soil microbiology that we will see grow over the next few years. No matter your understanding of soil biology, I suspect Microbe Science for Gardeners will leave you deeply enriched, as it has me. From backyard to farm-scale, this is a book every grower should possess." –Jesse Frost, author, The Living Soil Handbook: The No-till Grower's Guide to Ecological Market Gardening "This fascinating book by Robert Pavlis presents the latest science on what is known (and not known) about the multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that fill the soil, cover leaves, and interact with roots. This is an outstanding resource and should be in the hands of anyone interested in gardening!" –Linda Gilkeson, author, Backyard Bounty: The Complete Guide to Year-Round Organic Gardening in the Pacific Northwest "A must-have for gardeners who want to understand the unseen worlds above and below the soil, Robert Pavlis' latest book explains the hidden life keeping our plants thriving." –Rebecca Martin, technical editor, Mother Earth News "Robert Pavlis has a unique ability to communicate complex topics with ease and clarity. He has done it again with Microbe Science for Gardeners. This comprehensive exploration of soil ecology examines the dynamic relationships between plants and the microbiome of the soil, providing the reader with a guide to understanding the role of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microbes in the creation and maintenance of healthy soil." –Darrell Frey, owner, Three Sisters Farm, and author, Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm Table of Contents1. Introduction Why Learn About Microbes? Terms Used in This Book 2. The World Under a Microscope Microbes by the Numbers Microbes Are Important to Plants Microbes Can Harm Plants Gardeners Affect Microbes How Do Microbes Move Around? How Much Do We Really Know? 3. Bacteria How Do Bacteria Eat? Where Do Bacteria Live? Life Cycle of Bacteria Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria 4. Fungi What do Fungi Eat? Where Do Fungi Live? Life Cycle of Fungi Pathogenic Fungi Mycorrhizal Fungi 5. Yeast Life Cycle of Yeast Yeast-Plant Interactions Yeast in Hellebore Nectar Yeast Creates Alcoholics Yeast on Leaves Yeast in Soil A Bioindicator of Air Quality A Possible Solution to Plastic Pollution 6. Nematodes 7. Protozoa Life Cycle of Protozoa Nutrient Cycling Protozoa-Plant Interactions Plant Diseases 8. Viruses Viruses in Soil Life Cycle of a Virus The Spread of Viruses Virus Infection of Microbes Virus Infection of Plants Rapid Mutation Beneficial Interaction with Plants 9. More Microbes Archaea Actinomycetes Cyanobacteria Algae 10. Microbe Communities Microbe Communities and Microbiomes Signaling Between Microbes Microbes Attack Microbes Mycorrhizal Interactions Lichens 11. Plants Love Microbes Nutrient Availability The Phyllosphere Rhizosphere Rhizophagy Cycle Seed Microbiome 12. Manipulating Microbes Fungal-to-Bacterial Ratio Effect of Agriculture Biodiversity 13. Bioinoculants for the Garden Bioinoculants for Seeds Bioinoculants as a Foliar Spray Bioinoculants for Soil Microbes Are No Longer Living Should Gardeners Use Commercial Bioinoculants? Compost Tea 14. Pathogens You Suspect a Disease—What Now? List of Plant Diseases Fighting Plant Diseases Commercial Pesticides Human Diseases Endnotes Index About the Author Also by the Author About New Society Publishers

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow do bacteria dominate our lives? Do fungi have memory? Why did the proto-hippopotamus not reacquire gills? Offering fresh new angles on existence and what shapes it, join Noga Wies on a fascinating adventure through the stuff of life itself.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA virologist's insight into how viruses evolve and why global epidemics are inevitableIn 1993 a previously healthy young man was drowning in the middle of a desert, in fluids produced by his own lungs. This was the beginning of the terrifying Sin Nombre hantavirus epidemic and the start of a scientific journey that would forever change our understanding of what it means to be human.After witnessing the Sin Nombre outbreak, Dr Frank Ryan began researching viral evolution and was astonished to discover that it's inextricable from the evolution of all life on Earth. From AIDS and Ebola to the common cold, Ryan explores the role of the virus within every ecosystem on the planet. His gripping conclusions shed new light on the natural world, proving that what doesn't kill you really does make you (and your species) stronger.Trade ReviewPraise for Virusphere: ‘A fascinating book that is well structured … absorbing … [and] makes an engrossing and fervent argument’ The Inquisitive Biologist Praise for Frank Ryan: 'Extremely well written … Frank Ryan has the page-turning and spine-chilling ability of a good novelist'Sunday Telegraph 'Ryan is very good at making technical matters comprehensible to the lay reader, but more impressive still is the away he conveys the intellectual excitement and elation of scientific discovery'Literary Review ‘Dr Ryan writes well in a difficult technical field, weaving the technicalities of scientific history, medicine, molecular biology and evolution into the human narratives … Very readable and disturbing’New York Times…

Read more less

Book SynopsisStrictly off limits to the public, Plum Island is home to virginal beaches, cliffs, forests, ponds -- and the deadliest germs that have ever roamed the planet. Lab 257 blows the lid off the stunning true nature and checkered history of Plum Island. It shows that the seemingly bucolic island in the shadow of New York City is a ticking biological time bomb that none of us can safely ignore.Based on declassified government documents, in-depth interviews, and access to Plum Island itself, this is an eye-opening, suspenseful account of a federal government germ laboratory gone terribly wrong. For the first time, Lab 257 takes you deep inside this secret world and presents startling revelations on virus outbreaks, biological meltdowns, infected workers, the periodic flushing of contaminated raw sewage into area waters, and the insidious connections between Plum Island, Lyme disease, and the deadly West Nile virus. The book also probes what''s in store for Plum Isl

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA useful, engaging opus — New York Times Book Review Antibiotic resistance is a global problem—a disease present in Karachi one day may arrive in Reno, Nev., the next—yet the same connectivity that has spread resistance has eased collaboration across borders. Mr. Zaman’s optimism...is welcome, though not always easy to share. Still, his sense of urgency is irresistible. — Wall Street Journal "A vivid portrayal of our fight against an opponent that has been around for more than 3 billion years. Zaman, a professor of biomedical engineering and international health, portrays a conflict—between humans and harmful strains of bacteria—that has played out in plagues and epidemics over millennia." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “I was born under the antibiotic umbrella and took effective antibiotics for granted. Yet we still battle pneumonia, which still kills 800,000 children per year, due to a lack of access. Meanwhile, there is excess use of antibiotics, in humans and animals, causing the problem of drug-resistant infections. This book tells you the story of the people who set up the antibiotic umbrella and the challenge to keep it up—for all of us, together, as one humanity. Because no wall will ever protect us against drug-resistant infections.” — Stefan Swartling Peterson, chief of health, UNICEF “If you read one book this year, please make it this one. A breathtaking, inspiring, and very personal account of one of the greatest challenges of our time—drug-resistant infections—an issue that will undermine the whole of modern medicine unless we act, and we act now. This book is about what has made modern medicine possible—the ability to control and treat infections. This book fills one with hope that science can overcome the challenge, politicians can act, policies can work, and drug-resistant infections do not need to be the end of modern medicine. It is enthralling, engaging, and beautifully written.” — Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome Trust “Biography of Resistance is a sweeping and engaging history of the tango humanity dances with bacteria—which both make human life possible and have the capacity to end it. Our efforts in the past hundred years to gain the upper hand have led to remarkable successes—but now may be backfiring as antimicrobial resistance looms as the biggest public health challenge of our time. Dr. Zaman’s story is timely and urgent.” — Kathleen Sebelius, former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services

Read more less

Book SynopsisFeatures scientific content written at a level comprehensible for wine professionals as well as advanced students. This title includes information on production and spoilage issues, the microbial groups relevant for wine production and microbial wine safety. It presents methods of studying the microbiology of wine.Table of ContentsChapter 1. Yeast. Saccharomyces I. Yeast for primary alcoholic fermentation Chapter 2. Yeast. Saccharomyces II. Second fermentation yeasts Chapter 3. Yeasts. Saccharomyces III. Yeast for wines with biological ageing Chapter 4. Yeast. Non-Saccharomyces Chapter 5. Identification and molecular characterization of wine yeasts. Chapter 6. Genomics and proteomics of wine yeasts. Chapter 7. Improvement of wine yeasts by genetic engineering techniques Chapter 8. Lactic acid bacteria. Chapter 9. Acetic acid bacteria. Chapter 10. Filamentous fungi Chapter 11. Production of starter cultures for winemaking Chapter 12. Conservation of wine related microbial strains Chapter 13. HACPC in wine making. Ochratoxin A. Chapter 14. Applied enological microbiology

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. Recent Developments in the Definition and Official Names of Virus Species2. A Theory-Based Pragmatism for Discovering and Classifying Newly Divergent Species of Bacterial Pathogens3. Population Structure of Pathogenic Bacteria4. Epidemiology and Evolution of Fungal Pathogens in Plants and Animals5. Clonal Evolution6. Coevolution of Host and Pathogen7. Microbes as Tracers of Past Human Demography and Migrations8. Phylogenetic Analysis of Pathogens9. Evolutionary Responses to Infectious Disease10. Infectious Disease Genomics11. Proteomics and Host–Pathogen Interactions: A Bright Future?12. The Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance13. Modern Morphometrics of Medically Important Arthropods14. Evolution of Resistance to Insecticide in Disease Vectors15. Genetics of Major Insect Vectors16. Multilocus Sequence Typing of Pathogens: Methods, Analyses, and Applications17. Next-Generation Sequencing, Bioinformatics, and Infectious Diseases18. Genomics of Infectious Diseases and Private Industry19. Current Progress in the Pharmacogenetics of Infectious Disease Therapy20. Genetic Exchange in Trypanosomatids and Its Relevance to Epidemiology21. Genomic Insights Into the Past, Current, and Future Evolution of Human Parasites of the Genus Plasmodium22. Integrated Genetic Epidemiology of Chagas Disease23. Adaptive Evolution of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex to Different Hosts24. The Evolution and Dynamics of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus25. Origin and Emergence of HIV/AIDS26. Evolution of SARS Coronavirus and the Relevance of Modern Molecular Epidemiology27. Ecology and Evolution of Avian Influenza Viruses

Read more less

Table of Contents1. The Need for Change: Embracing the Genome William B. Whitman 2. An Introduction to Phylogenetics and The Tree of Life1 Tom A. Williams and Sarah E. Heap 3. The All-Species Living Tree Project Pablo Yarza and Raul Munoz 4. 16S rRNA Gene-based Identification of Bacteria and Archaea using the EzTaxon Server Mincheol Kim and Jongsik Chun 5. Revolutionising Prokaryotic Systematics Through Next-Generation Sequencing Vartul Sangal, Leena Nieminen, Nicholas P. Tucker and Paul A. Hoskisson 6. Whole Genome Analyses: Average Nucleotide Identity David R. Arahal 7. Whole-Genome Sequencing for Rapid and Accurate Identification of Bacterial Transmission Pathways Simon R. Harris and Chinyere K. Okoro 8. Identification of Conserved Indels that are useful for Classification and Evolutionary Studies Radhey S. Gupta 9. Reconciliation Approaches to Determining HGT, Duplications, and Losses in Gene Trees Olga K.Kamneva and Naomi L. Ward 10. Multi-locus Sequence Typing and the Gene-by-Gene Approach to Bacterial Classification and Analysis of Population Variation Alison J. Cody, Julia S. Bennett and Martin C.J. Maiden 11. Multilocus Sequence Analysis: Bringing Bacterial Systematics to the Next Level Xiaoying Rong and Ying Huang 12. Bacterial Typing and Identification by Genomic Analysis of 16s-23s rRNA Intergenic Spacer (ITS) Sequences Volker Gürtler, Gangavarapu Subrahmanyam, Malathi Shakar, Biswajit Maiti and Indrani Karunasagar 13. MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry Applied to Classification and Identification of Bacteria Peter Schumann and Thomas Maier 14. Continuing Importance of the “Phenotype” in the Genomic Era Peter Kämpfer

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. Symbiosis and Parasitism 2. Parasite-Host Interactions Part I: The Protozoa 3. General Characteristics of the Euprotista (Protozoa) 4. Visceral Protozoa I: (Amoebae) and Ciliophorans 5. Visceral Protozoa II: Flagellates 6. Blood and Tissue Protozoa I: Hemoflagellates 7. Blood and Tissue Protozoa II: Human Malaria 8. Blood and Tissue Protozoa III: Other Protists Part II: The Trematoda 9. General Characteristics of the Trematoda 10. Visceral Flukes 11. Blood Flukes Part III: The Cestoda 12. General Characteristics of the Cestoda 13. Intestinal Tapeworms 14. Extraintestinal Tapeworms Part IV: The Nematoda 15. General Characteristics of the Nematoda 16. Intestinal Nematodes 17. Blood and Tissue Nematodes Part V: Arthropoda 18. Arthropods as Vectors Appendix A. Drugs for Parasitic Infections: Partial List of Generic and Name Brands B. Current Chemotherapeutic Regiments C. Adverse Effects of Antiparasitic Drugs

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. The History and Life Cycle of Toxoplasma gondii 2. The Ultrastructure of Toxoplasma gondii 3. Molecular Epidemiology and Population Structure of Toxoplasma gondii 4. Human Toxoplasma Infection 5. Ocular Disease due to Toxoplasma gondii 6. Toxoplasmosis in Wild and Domestic Animals 7. Toxoplasma Animal Models and Therapeutics 8. Biochemistry and Metabolism of Toxoplasma gondii: Lipids and Nutrient Acquisition 9. Biochemistry and Metabolism of Toxoplasma gondii: Nucleotide and Amino Acid Metabolism 10. Biochemistry and Metabolism of Toxoplasma gondii: Carbohydrates and Metabolomics 11. The Apicoplast and Mitochondrion of Toxoplasma gondii 12. Calcium Storage and Homeostasis in Toxoplasma gondii 13. Signaling Networks in Toxoplasma gondii 14. Toxoplasma Secretory Proteins (Micronemes, Rhoptries, Dense Granules) 15. Toxoplasma Secretory Pathway, Intracellular Trafficking, and Autophagy 16. The Toxoplasma Cytoskeleton: Structures, Proteins and Processes (Need to include actin) 17. Toxoplasma Host Effectors in Cell Interactions 18. Bradyzoite and Sexual Stage Development 19. Development and Application of Classical Genetics in Toxoplasma gondii 20. Genetic Manipulation of Toxoplasma gondii 21. Epigenetic and Genetic Factors that Regulate Gene Expression in Toxoplasma gondii 22. Proteomics and Post Translational Protein Modifications in Toxoplasma gondii 23. ToxoDB: An Integrated Functional Genomic Resource for Toxoplasma and Other Sarcocystidae 24. Cerebral Toxoplasmosis: Pathogenesis, Host Resistance and Behavioral Consequences 25. Innate Immunity to Toxoplasma gondii 26. Adaptive Immunity and Genetics of the Host Immune Response

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"The text brings together in a single work about conventional technologies and that can help professionals in the sector and improve the nutritional quality on fruit. It is a useful reference for researchers, professionals and students who want to understand the feasiblity and operability of these techniques to make informed choices in modern processing plants." --Industrie AlimentariTable of Contents1. Quality issues and safety concerns of fresh-cut products Quality issues, Browning, Loss of firmness, Nutrient loss, Safety concerns, microbiology 2. Sanitizers Chlorine, Quaternary ammonium compounds, Acidic compounds, Alkaline compounds, Ozone, Hydrogen peroxide 3. Antioxidants Acidulants, Reducing Agents, Chelating agents, Enzyme inhibitors, other anti-brownings 4. Texturizers Calcium, Ethylene blockers, enzyme inhibitors 5. Modified and controlled atmosphere packaging 6. Natural additives with antimicrobial and flavoring potential 7. Natural additives with anti-browning and texturizer potential 8. Fortificants 9. Probiotics 10. Edible coatings 11. Active and intelligent packaging 12. High-pressure processing 13. Microwave heating 14. Ohmic heating 15. Plasma processing 16. Hurdle technology 17. Fresh-cut plant processing design

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. Biological oxidation of iron sulfides Mathilde Monachon, Magdalena Albelda Berenguer and Edith Joseph 2. Microbes associated with fresh produce: Sources, types and methods to reduce spoilage and contamination Maciej Kaczmarek, Simon V. Avery and Ian Singleton 3. Toward rational selection criteria for selection of probiotics in pigs Weilan Wang and Michael Gänzle 4. Mucoid switch in Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria: Triggers, molecular mechanisms and implications in pathogenesis Mirela R. Ferreira, Sara C. Gomes and Leonilde M. Moreira 5. Phenotypic instability in fungi Philippe Silar

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn exploration of how the many sciences of wine can enhance our appreciation and enjoyment of wine. In From Terrain to Brain, Professor Erika Szymanski makes wine science accessible to non-experts. Rather than approach wine science as body of facts about wine, Szymanski explores how wine science can open up multiple ways of seeing, understanding, and appreciating wine. Too often, wine science is presented as a comprehensive body of knowledge that enthusiasts aiming to become experts should memorize. This book instead uses scientific research to explore wine as an endlessly rich cultural phenomenon. By foregrounding recent research and developments in wine science, From Terrain to Brain presents wine science as a work-in-progress rather than a codified body of knowledge. Each chapter takes readers on a journey or foray through a topic in wine science, such as minerality, climate, microbiome, and yeast. Chapters are organized from terrain (geography, terroir, soil) and cell membrane (micTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1 - Geography Chapter 2 - Vines Chapter 3 - Terroir Chapter 4 - Minerality Chapter 5 - Climate Chapter 6 - Weather Chapter 7 - Yeast Chapter 8 - Microbiome Chapter 9 - Alcohol Chapter 10 - Sulfur Chapter 11 - Sugar Chapter 12 - Oak Chapter 13 - Waste Chapter 14 - Flavor Chapter 15 - Health Chapter 16 - Glass Chapter 17 - Coda Notes Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisFor billions of years, microbes have produced and consumed greenhouse gases that regulate global temperature and in turn other aspects of our climate. The balance of these gases maintains Earth''s habitability. Methane, a greenhouse gas produced only by microbes, may have kept Earth out of a deep freeze billions of years ago. Likewise, variations in carbon dioxide, another greenhouse gas released by microbes and other organisms, help to explain the comings and goings of ice ages over the last million years.Now we face a human-made climate crisis with drastic consequences. The complete story behind greenhouse gases, however, involves microbes and their role in natural ecosystems. Microscopic organisms are also part of the solution, producing biofuels and other forms of green energy which keep fossil fuels in the ground. Other microbes can be harnessed to reduce the release of methane and nitrous oxide from agriculture, and geoengineering solutions that depend on microbes could pull carb

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis advanced textbook investigates how pathogens shape diversity in plant communities, how features of plant-microbe interactions including host range and mutualism/antagonism evolve, and how biological invasions, climate change, and other agents of global change can drive disease emergence.Trade ReviewThis is a true learning tool. I can't wait to use it in introductory plant pathology courses and to share it with the public when they say, "You're a what? Plant pathologist?" * Alejandra Huerta, Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, USA *Essential reading for students of all levels: from the scientifically curious layperson to the seasoned specialist. * Charles Mitchell, Professor, Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA *This treatise is impressive in its comprehensive and understandable introduction to the basic biology of diverse plant pathogens, and the complex interactions that they have with their plant hosts. There is a lot to learn and think about in this book! * Steven E. Lindow, Professor Emeritus, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA *Table of ContentsPreface Part 1: Plant Pathogens and Disease 1: Thinking like a plant disease ecologist 2: How to be a plant 3: How to be a fungus 4: How to be an oomycete 5: How to be a bacterium 6: How to be a virus 7: How to be a macroparasite 8: Types of diseases 9: How to do disease ecology Part 2: Evolutionary Ecology of Plant-Pathogen Symbioses 10: The population ecology of plant disease 11: Spatial ecology 12: Physiology and genetics 13: Evolution 14: Community ecology 15: The plant microbiome 16: Global change 17: Disease management Epilogue

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis accessible book describes a fascinating range of emerging infectious disease outbreaks affecting humans, including rabies, Ebola virus, Lyme disease, bubonic plague, and of course, Covid-19. The book also covers emerging infectious diseases in wildlife, such as Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease, white nose syndrome, mange, and musk ox lungworm. These case studies span the entire range of zoonotic disease emergence pathways, from sheep testicles in Wyoming, USA to butchered bush rats in Vietnam! Transmission dynamics are examined from diverse perspectives - from global drivers of pathogen emergence (including globalization, land use patterns, and changing climates) to outbreak epidemiology (epidemic curves and disease spillover), to conservation and control interventions.Despite a recent explosion of courses on the topic, and a viral pandemic that has affected the entire world, this is the first textbook to focus on pathogen spillover ecology at the humanwildlife interface. EmeTable of Contents1: Spillover and emerging infectious diseases 2: The anatomy of disease 3: Descriptive epidemiology of disease outbreaks 4: Surveillance 5: Making simple predictions using models 6: The environment as a pathogen reservoir 7: Reservoir hosts 8: Identifying animal reservoirs during an epidemic 9: Emerging infectious diseases and globalizationDLtravel, trade, and invasive species 10: Climate change and emerging infectious diseases 11: Land use change and emerging infectious diseases 12: Impacts of emerging infectious diseases on wildlife populations 13: Infectious diseases in ecosystems 14: Infectious disease control 15: COVID-19, One Health, and pandemic prevention

Read more less

Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringThe term ''microbiomes'' encapsulates an important scientific breakthrough of recent years. This is the realization that humans, other animals, and plants harbour communities of microorganisms which are mostly beneficial but can occasionally cause or exacerbate disease. Our quickly developing understanding of microbiomes is being translated into novel microbial therapies for human disease and is contributing to sustainable practices in agriculture and food production. On the flipside, there is a growing concern that some claims for microbiomes, especially in relation to human health, far exceed the scientific data.This Very Short Introduction is an essential guide to the fast-moving discipline of microbiome science. It accessibly distills the key facts about our resident microbiomes, explains how and why our health and wellbeing depend on them, and provides readers with the fundamental knowledge they need to judge the reliability of claims about microbiome-based applications.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introduction series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of illustrations 1: Living with microbes 2: How to get and keep a microbiome 3: Microbiomes, nutrition, and metabolic health 4: Microbiomes, the brain, and behaviour 5: Microbiomes and infectious disease 6: Plant microbiomes in agriculture and food production 7: Microbial therapies and healthy microbiomes Glossary Further reading

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis concise, readable introduction to limnology (the science of investigating the structure and function of inland waters), places the subject in the context of modern ecology. Unlike most ecological textbooks, which use examples taken almost exclusively from terrestrial systems, this book integrates the fields of limnology and ecology by presenting empirical data drawn entirely from freshwater ecosystems in order to advance ecological theories (limnoecology).This second edition builds upon the strengths of the first with the structure of the book following the same hierarchical concept of ecology, from habitat properties, individuals, populations, coupled populations and communities to ecosystems. However, it has been thoroughly revised throughout to incorporate findings from new technologies and methods (notably the rapid development of molecular genetic methods and stable isotope techniques) that have allowed a rapid and ongoing development of the field. There is a new emphasis on food webs, species diversity and ecosystem functioning, climate change, and conservation management. Key ecological questions are examined in the light of the latest experimental evidence. Throughout the text evolutionary theory is applied to an understanding of freshwater ecosystems, thereby filling a niche between traditional limnology and evolutionary ecology.This accessible text is suitable for both undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in limnology, freshwater ecology, and aquatic biology as well as the many professional limnologists, ecologists and conservation biologists requiring a concise but authoritative overview of the topicTrade ReviewThis is an excellent introduction to what is arguably Earth's most valuable resiurce. * The Quarterly Review of Biology *'I am unaware of any other textbook that explains basic ecological principles and evolutionary oriented, ecological thinking better that this one.' Journal of Plankton Research, Vol. 30. No. 4. pages 489-490 2008'...an excellent text that I would not hesitate to use for teaching courses in ecology and limnology...Lampert and Sommer's updated Limnoecology will make an excellent resource for students of aquatic ecology at all stages. I have often handed the first edition to my starting graduate students to read. Now I have an updated version that will be even more useful.' Volume 16 (4), December 2007Table of Contents1. Ecology and Evolution ; 2. Methods of Ecological Research ; 3. Special Features of Aquatic Habitats ; 4. The Individual in its Habitat ; 5. Populations ; 6. Interactions ; 7. Communities ; 8. Ecosystem Perspectives ; 9. Final Remarks

Read more less

Book SynopsisParasites are among the most serious threats for any organism. This book brings together the latest knowledge from different fields and traces the basic ecological and evolutionary principles behind the eternal and momentous struggle between hosts and their parasites, providing a synthesis of current understanding.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIntegrates the theoretical principles underlying disease transmission with the practical health considerations involved in helping wildlife professionals and conservation biologists to manage disease outbreaks and conserve biodiversity.Trade ReviewRecent events surrounding the SARS-CoV-2-caused COVID-19 pandemic show the need for a comprehensive approach to research on and management of emerging infectious diseases affecting humans and other living populations. [This book] provides a comprehensive overview of the convergence of conservation biology, theoretical ecology, and veterinary science in the study of emerging infectious diseases and their respective impacts on natural populations. Of particular interest are discussions on modeling, data analysis, and epidemiological concepts associated with population-level impacts and outcomes from emerging infectious diseases and parasites in animals and other natural populations. * Dr. Kip R. Thompson, Associate Professor, Missouri State University, Department of Public Health and Sports Science *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Glossary Introduction I: Epidemiological Background 1: Conservation Biology and Parasitism 2: Disease Epidemiology in Natural Systems 3: Anthropogenic Effects and Wildlife Diseases II: Acquisition of Field Data 4: Sampling, Experimental Design, and Analysis 5: Capture, Restraint, and Euthanasia of Target Species 6: Disease and Agent Detection in the Field 7: The Environmental Context of Wildlife Disease 8: Agent and Disease Detection: Laboratory Methods III: Modeling and Data Analysis 9: Disease Modeling 10: Estimating Basic Epidemiological Parameters IV: Epidemiological Control and Prevention 11: Disease Management: Introduction and Planning 12: Preventing New Disease Occurrences 13: Disease Elimination and Eradication 14: Disease Control: How to Live with Infection 15: Infectious Diseases as Biocontrol Agents 16: Ethical and Public Outreach Considerations

Read more less

Book SynopsisBiology of Ticks is the most comprehensive work on tick biology and tick-borne diseases. This second edition is a multi-authored work, featuring the research and analyses of renowned experts across the globe. Spanning two volumes, the book examines the systematics, biology, structure, ecological adaptations, evolution, genomics and the molecular processes that underpin the growth, development and survival of these important disease-transmitting parasites. Also discussed is the remarkable array of diseases transmitted (or caused) by ticks, as well as modern methods for their control. This book should serve as a modern reference for students, scientists, physicians, veterinarians and other specialists. Volume I covers the biology of the tick and features chapters on tick systematics, tick life cycles, external and internal anatomy, and others dedicated to specific organ systems, specifically, the tick integument, mouthparts and digestive system, salivary glands, waste removal, salivary glands, respiratory system, circulatory system and hemolymph, fat body, the nervous and sensory systems and reproductive systems. Volume II includes chapters on the ecology of non-nidicolous and nidicolous ticks, genetics and genomics (including the genome of the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis) and immunity, including host immune responses to tick feeding and tick-host interactions, as well as the tick''s innate immune system that prevents and/or controls microbial infections. Six chapters cover in depth the many diseases caused by the major tick-borne pathogens, including tick-borne protozoa, viruses, rickettsiae of all types, other types of bacteria (e.g., the Lyme disease agent) and diseases related to tick paralytic agents and toxins. The remaining chapters are devoted to tick control using vaccines, acaricides, repellents, biocontrol, and, finally, techniques for breeding ticks in order to develop tick colonies for scientific study.Table of ContentsBiology of Ticks, 2nd Edition ; Volume 1: Structure, Systematics, Physiology, and Molecular Biology ; Chapter 1. Overview: Ticks, People and Animals ; Daniel E. Sonenshine and R. Michael Roe ; Chapter 2. Modern Tick Systematics ; Lance A. Durden and Lorenza Beati ; Chapter 3. Life Cycles and Natural History of Ticks ; Dmitry A. Apanaskevich and James H. Oliver, Jr. ; Chapter 4. External and Internal Anatomy ; Daniel E. Sonenshine and R. Michael Roe ; Chapter 5. Integument and Ecdysis ; W. Reuben Kaufman ; Chapter 6. Mouthparts and Digestive System: Anatomy and Molecular biology of Feeding and Digestion ; Daniel E. Sonenshine and Jennifer M. Anderson ; Chapter 7. Salivary Glands: Structure, Physiology and Molecular Biology ; Francisco J. Alarcon-Chaidez ; Chapter 8. Excretion and Water Balance: Hindgut, Malpighian Tubules and Coxal Glands ; Daniel E. Sonenshine ; Chapter 9. Heme Processing and the Evolution of Hematophagy ; Ben J. Mans ; Chapter 10. Respiratory System: Structure and Function ; Laura J. Fielden and Francis D. Duncan ; Chapter 11. Circulatory System and Hemolymph: Structure, Physiology and Molecular Biology ; Libor Grubhoffer, Natalia Rudenko, Marie Vancova, Maryna Golovchenko and Jan Sterba ; Chapter 12. Fat Body and Nephrocytes: Structure and Function ; Lewis B. Coons ; Chapter 13. Nervous and Sensory Systems: Structure, Function, genomics and proteomics Ladislav Simo, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Yeonsoong Park and Dusan Zitnan ; Chapter 14. Molecular Biology and Physiology of Chemical Communication ; Albert Mulenga ; Chapter 15. Heme-binding, lipoglyco-storage proteins ; Sayed M. S. Khalil, Kevin V. Donohue , R. Michael Roe and Daniel E. Sonenshine ; Chapter 16. Hormonal Regulation of Development, Metamorphosis and Reproduction ; R. Michael Roe, Kevin V. Donohue, Sayed M.S. Khalil, Brooke W. Bissinger, Jiwei Zhu and Daniel E. Sonenshine ; Chapter 17. Female Reproductive System: Anatomy, Physiology and Molecular Biology ; Mari H. Ogihara and DeMar Taylor ; Chapter 18. Male Reproductive System: Anatomy, Physiology and Molecular Biology ; Daniel E. Sonenshine and Lewis B. Coons

Read more less

Book SynopsisSpanning two volumes, this is the most comprehensive work on tick biology and tick-borne diseasesTable of ContentsBiology of Ticks 2nd Edition ; Volume 2. Ecology, Genomics, Disease and Control ; Chapter 1. Ecology of Non-nidicolous Ticks ; Sarah E. Randolph ; Chapter 2. Ecology of Nidicolous Ticks ; Jeremy S. Gray ; Chapter 3. Tick Genetics, Genomics and Transformation ; Jason Meyer and Catherine A. Hill ; Chapter 4. Host-Tick Interactions ; Stephen K. Wikel ; Chapter 5. How Ticks Control Microbes: The innate immune response ; Wayne L. Hynes ; Chapter 6 . Tick-borne Protozoa ; Adalberto A. Perez de Leon, Edouard Vannier, Consuelo Almazan, and Peter J. Krause ; Chapter 7. Tick-borne Viruses ; Patricia A. Nuttall ; Chapter 8. Tick-borne Rickettsioses I (spotted fever group and other selected rickettsia) ; Kevin R.Macaluso and Christopher D. Paddock ; Chapter 9. Tick-borne Rickettsioses II (Anaplasmataceae) ; Holly D. Gaff, Katherine M. Kocan and Daniel E. Sonenshine ; Chapter 10. Other Tick-borne Bacterial Diseases (including Lyme disease, relapsing fever ; and Tularemia) ; Nicholas H. Ogden, Harvey Artsob, Gabriele Margos and Jean Tsao ; Chapter 11. Tick-induced paralysis and toxicoses ; Agustin Estrada-Pena and Ben J. Mans ; Chapter 12. Development of vaccines for control of tick infestations and interruption of pathogen transmission ; Jose de la Fuente and Katherine M. Kocan ; Chapter 13. Acaricide Research and Development, Resistance and Resistance Monitoring ; Felix D. Guerrero, Adalberto Perez de Leon, Roger I. Rodriguez-Vivas, Nick Jonson, Robert J. Miller and Renato Andreotti ; Chapter 14. Tick Repellent Research, Methods, and Development ; Brooke W. Bissinger and R. Michael Roe ; Chapter 15 Tick control: Trapping, Bio-control, Host Management and Other Alternative Strategies ; Howard Ginsberg ; Chapter 16. Tick Rearing and in vitro Feeding ; Sandra A. Allan

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis text explores the adaptations parasites have evolved in their intimate interactions with their hosts. The author begins with the biology of parasites, before moving on to discuss genetic interactions between hosts and parasites, and ending with a section on the community ecology of parasites.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume draws on extensive, multidisciplinary research in its attempt to develop new views of the geological formation of the isthmus linking North and South America, and of the major environmental changes that reshaped the Neotropics to create its present-day marine and terrestrial ecosystems.Table of ContentsPreface 1: Evolution and Environment: Introduction and Overview Jeremy B. C. Jackson, Ann F. Budd. 2: The Geologic Evolution of the Central American Isthmus Anthony G. Coates, Jorge A. Obando. 3: Graphic Correlation of Marine Deposits from the Central American Isthmus: Implications for Late Neogene Paleoceanography Harry J. Dowsett, Mathew A. Cotton. 4: Biotic and Oceanographic Response to the Pliocene Closing of the Central American Isthmus Thomas M. Cronin, Harry J. Dowsett. 5: The Oxygen Isotopic Record of Seasonality in Neogene Bivalves from the Central American Isthmus Jane L. Teranes, Dana H. Geary, Brian E. Bemis. 6: Environmental Changes in Caribbean Shallow Waters Relative to the Closing Tropical American Seaway Laurel S. Collins 7: Plio-Pleistocene Turnover and Extinctions in the Caribbean Reef-Coral Fauna Ann F. Budd, Kenneth G. Johnson, Thomas A. Stemann. 8: Speciation, Extinction, and the Decline of Arborescent Growth in Neogene and Quaternary Cheilostome Bryozoa of Tropical America Alan H. Cheetham, Jeremy B. C. Jackson. 9: Paciphilia Revisited: Transisthmian Evolution of the Strombina Group (Gastropoda: Columbellidae) Jeremy B. C. Jackson, Peter Jung, Helena Fortunato. 10: Diversity of Pliocene-Recent Mollusks in the Western Atlantic: Extinction, Origination, and Environmental Change Warren D. Allmon, Gary Rosenberg, Roger W. Portell, Kevin Schindler. 11: Molecular Comparisons of Transisthmian Species Pairs: Rates and Patterns of Evolution Timothy Collins 12: Late Cenozoic Evolution of the Neotropical Mammal Fauna S. David Webb, Alceu Rancy. 13: Quaternary Environmental History and Forest Diversity in the Neotropics Paul A. Colinvaux List of Contributors Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisEminent expert in vaccine development John Rhodes offers an essential, up-to-the-minute primer on how scientists test and distribute vaccines.Trade Review"A great book for those wanting to know the background. Rhodes covers many fascinating details in immunology and the history of vaccine discoveries, as well as the basic science behind the development of COVID-19 vaccines, a topic which couldn't be more important."--Daniel M. Davis, author of The Beautiful Cure "Rhodes is undoubtedly the right person to offer this timely and excellent explanation of a very topical story of great public interest. He is not only a well-respected immunologist, but also has personal experience in vaccine development."--Eddy Liew, University of Glasgow "This concise book is wide-ranging in the topics covered; from the history of immunology and vaccinology to the early development of multiple COVID-19 vaccines. It explains many of the areas of vaccine development that are rarely discussed, leaving the public wondering what takes so long, and reminds us that vaccines are a wise investment for both our own health and that of the economy." --Sarah Gilbert, University of OxfordTable of ContentsPreface 1. Understand the Virus 2. Explore the Immune System 3. Discover a Vaccine 4. Develop Vaccines 5. Evaluate the Contenders 6. Don’t Count on the Magic Bullet 7. Overcome the Hurdles 8. Embrace Many Solutions Epilogue Acknowledgments Appendix: COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates Further Reading Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first in-depth study of Japanese fermentation science in the twentieth century. The Arts of the Microbial World explores the significance of fermentation phenomena, both as life processes and as technologies, in Japanese scientific culture. Victoria Lee's careful study documents how Japanese scientists and skilled workers sought to use the microbe's natural processes to create new products, from soy-sauce mold starters to MSG, vitamins to statins. In traditional brewing houses as well as in the food, fine chemical, and pharmaceutical industries across Japan, they showcased their ability to deal with the enormous sensitivity and variety of the microbial world. Charting developments in fermentation science from the turn of the twentieth century, when Japan was an industrializing country on the periphery of the world economy, to 1980 when it had emerged as a global technological and economic power, Lee highlights the role of indigenous techniques in modern science as it took shape in Japan. In doing so, she reveals how knowledge of microbes lay at the heart of some of Japan's most prominent technological breakthroughs in the global economy. At a moment when twenty-first-century developments in the fields of antibiotic resistance, the microbiome, and green chemistry suggest that the traditional eradication-based approach to the microbial world is unsustainable, twentieth-century Japanese microbiology provides a new, broader vantage for understanding and managing microbial interactions with society.Trade Review"Lee... describes many interesting developments associated with the modern production of various types of sake, including processes related to nutrition, alcohol content, and flavors, ultimately influencing the Japanese manufacture of antibiotics." * Choice *"The Arts of the Microbial World is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the industrial food system. * Isis *"In this brilliant tour de force, Lee orchestrates science, politics, and production to show how microbes—and the understanding of microbes—shaped Japan’s distinctive modernity. If you’ve ever eaten soy sauce or drunk sake, you’re the beneficiary of age-old fermentation practices. This deep-rooted knowledge, based on the insight that life is fermentation, played a vital role in the twentieth-century developments that put Japan at the forefront of modern medicine, food processing, and environmental understanding. This nuanced history demonstrates that although scientific problems may be universal, scientific practices are subtly shaped by culture and politics." -- Julia Adeney Thomas, coauthor of The Anthropocene: A Multidisciplinary Approach"In The Arts of the Microbial World, Lee explores how Japanese scientists treated microbes not as threats, but as gifts, from which they conjured new foods, drinks, drugs, fuels, and tastes. The result is a thrilling and surprising new history of fermentation biology that offers a nuanced counterpoint to western, gene-centric histories. Wonderfully written and brilliantly researched, this is compelling and exciting work." -- Christopher Otter, Ohio State University"Lee successfully pursues a sustained argument that remains integrated and coherent even as she explores its varied instantiations in different topics, times, and locations. The originality of the book lies not only in providing a history of Japanese fermentation science in the twentieth century in its institutional, economic, and cultural dimensions, but especially in demonstrating the continuing importance of an indigenous craft tradition in shaping the twentieth-century field. In doing so she convincingly shows the inadequacy of interpreting Japanese fermentation science as simply a case of technology transfer." -- John Lesch, University of California, BerkeleyTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION Microbe History 1 SAKE AND SHŌYU Remaking Mold Cultures 2 NUTRITION No Longer a Land of Plenty 3 NATION Asia’s Microbial Gardens and Japanese Knowledge 4 ALCOHOL Empire in Practice 5 ANTIBIOTICS Domesticating Penicillin 6 FLAVOR To Screen for Gifts CONCLUSION The Science of Modern Life Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisPaul A. Offit shares hard-earned wisdom on the dos and don’ts of battling misinformation. From conspiracy theories linking vaccines to autism to Holocaust and climate-change denial. Bad Advice is a humorous guide to taking on quack experts and self-appointed activists and a must-read for any American disturbed by politicized attacks on science.Trade ReviewIn breezy and deceptively conversational prose that often winks with humor, Bad Advice breaks down complex scientific subjects that have been distorted through several cultural lenses. Offit takes to task actors, network news anchors, quack scientists, and even politicians who, unlike Jolie in her thoughtful article, have opined on scientific subjects in ways that misinform the public, on occasion to a potentially dangerous degree. * Washington Post *Bad advice about your health, firmly grounded in fact-free marketing, greed, and science denialism, is omnipresent in the new and old media these days. One of the few reliable sources of good advice is Dr. Paul A. Offit who, unlike all too many scientists and doctors, is ready to take on the hype and lies of celebrities, charlatans, ideologues, and money-grubbers with logic, evidence, and humor. Take my advice: Bad Advice is just what you need to navigate the murky waters of an unending stream of really bad information about your health. -- Arthur L. Caplan, Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor of Bioethics, New York University School of MedicineBad Advice gives us a front row seat to Offit’s role on the leading edge of the vaccine fight as he shows just how important communicating good science can be. The author's rare storytelling blend of equal parts humorous anecdotes and serious facts leads to an entertaining and captivating read that is hard to put down. -- Melissa Stockwell, MD, MPH, Columbia University Medical CenterPaul Offit is a pediatrician, a vaccine scientist, and one of our foremost explainers of science. In Bad Advice, he distills what he has learned—often the hard way—from standing up for science in the face of bogus theories, quack remedies, and the flat-out denial of empirical fact. Skillfully, Offit uses stories of his many missteps in the treacherous public arena to teach us how to confront pseudoscience effectively. In the process, without noticing, we learn fascinating lessons in the relevant science. A forcefully-written, indispensable book, particularly at the present moment. -- Geoffrey Kabat, cancer epidemiologist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and author of Getting Risk Right: Understanding the Science of Elusive Health RisksWith humor and a unique perspective, Offit takes us step by step through our culture’s missteps (and some of his own), relating stories of real science and the difficulties of communicating complicated concepts clearly to a skeptical and sometimes hostile public. Bad Advice shows us how we can succeed in the battle against pseudoscience, seductive gurus with simple messages, and snake oil-hawking celebrities. -- Adam Ratner, M.D., New York UniversityThe beauty of mass communication in our free society is also our curse. Information flows so quickly, from so many different sources, that one can’t help but be overwhelmed—and too frequently misled. No one has fought harder over the years to educate the public, and to puncture the dangerously false dogmas of pseudoscience, than Paul Offit. Bad Advice is a brilliant extension of his dictate, so aptly stated by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, that one is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts. Celebrities and politicians bear the brunt of Offit’s elegantly written, often hilarious, pinpoint assaults. But what makes this book truly special is its vision of how science can, and must, be defended against its despoilers. Bad Advice is, in every sense, an essential read. -- David Oshinsky, director of the Division of Medical Humanities at NYU School of MedicineBad Advice is a fun and educational book that will leave readers optimistic—as Offit himself is—that fact will ultimately prevail over fiction in the world of science and medicine. “Although science is under siege,” Offit writes toward the end of the book, “science advocates are fighting back.” -- Arlene Weintraub, author of Heal: The Vital Role of Dogs in the Search for Cancer Cures * New York Journal of Books *[Bad Advice] provides a sterling example of this stand in the name of empirical truth. * Publishers Weekly *A well-presented, knowledgeable, and surprisingly engaging look at the pitfalls of the information age. * Foreword Reviews *The author's droll account of attempts to inform the public about vaccines and even before a congressional hearing make for compelling reading....Recommended * Choice *Table of ContentsPrologue: On Being Naïve1. What Science Is—and What It Isn’t2. White Mice and Windowless Rooms3. An Alibi for Ignorance4. Feeding the Beast5. To Debate or Not to Debate6. Make ’Em Laugh7. Science Goes to the Movies8. The Emperor’s New Clothes9. Judgment Day10. The Nuclear Option11. Pharma Shill12. A Ray of HopeEpilogue: The End of the TourAcknowledgmentsAppendix: Blogs and PodcastsNotesSelected BibliographyIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow a small number of risky experiments creates many unwieldy problems for life science research.The life sciences have never been more critical to human health, wealth, and security. But with any endeavor comes risk, and the last decade has seen concerns raised about gain-of function-research in which a microbe, usually a virus, is given new properties like enhanced lethality, transmissibility, or the capability to infect new species. In 2021 the term seeped into the tabloids when a conflict between Senator Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci arose over the origins of COVID-19. In Gain of Function, Nicholas Evans?who has spent his career studying gain-of-function research?describes what this kind of research is, what it isn?t, and why a small number of scientific experiments continues to make headlines.Evans begins with a description of what gain-of-function research is in science, and what it means in government policy. He tells the story of the original papers that sparked controversy more than a decade ago, unpacking them for readers unfamiliar with virology research, and he identifies where and why policymakers and scientists alike became concerned. He then turns to the history of policies that attempt to regulate gain-of-function research, the current controversies, and the ethics of risky research. He concludes with the future of gain of function, including how debates about gain of function will influence science and public health in years to come.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA fascinating and terrifying memoir of one woman''s extraordinary effort to save her husband''s life (Scientific American) - and the discovery of a forgotten cure that has the potential to save millions more.Epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee and her husband, psychologist Tom Patterson, were vacationing in Egypt when Tom came down with a stomach bug. What at first seemed like a case of food poisoning quickly turned critical, and by the time Tom had been transferred via emergency medevac to the world-class medical center at UC San Diego, where both he and Steffanie worked, blood work revealed why modern medicine was failing: Tom was fighting one of the most dangerous, antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the world.Frantic, Steffanie combed through research old and new and came across phage therapy: the idea that the right virus, aka the perfect predator, can kill even the most lethal bacteria. Phage treatment had fallen out of favor almost 100 years ago, after antibiotic use went mainstream. Now, with time running out, Steffanie appealed to phage researchers all over the world for help. She found allies at the FDA, researchers from Texas A&M, and a clandestine Navy biomedical center - and together they resurrected a forgotten cure.A nail-biting medical mystery, The Perfect Predator is a story of love and survival against all odds, and the (re)discovery of a powerful new weapon in the global superbug crisis.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. Viral Structure and Classification 3. Features of Host Cells: Molecular and Cellular Biology Review 4. Virus Replication 5. Virus Transmission, Entry, and Spread 6. The Immune Response to Viruses 7. Virology Research and Diagnosis of Viral Infections 8. Vaccines, Anti-Virals, and the Beneficial Uses of Viruses 9. Viruses and Cancer 10. Influenza 11. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) 12. Hepatitis Viruses 13. Herpesviruses 14. Coronaviruses 15. Poliovirus 16. Poxviruses 17. Emerging and dangerous viruses 18. Notable Non-Human Viruses and Nonliving Infectious Agents Appendices 1. Abbreviations 2. Glossary

Read more less