Deschutes Public Library

Viruses are the smallest living things known to science, and yet they hold the entire planet in their sway. We are most familiar with the viruses that give us colds or the flu, but viruses also cause a vast range of other diseases, including one disorder that makes people sprout branch-like growths as if they were trees. Viruses have been a part of our lives for so long, in fact, that we are actually part virus: the human genome contains more DNA from viruses than our own genes. Meanwhile, scientists are discovering viruses everywhere they look.This book explores the hidden world of viruses, a world that each of us inhabits. Here the author, science writer and author of Discover magazine's blog The Loom, presents the latest research on how viruses hold sway over our lives and our biosphere, how viruses helped give rise to the first life forms, how viruses are producing new diseases, how we can harness viruses for our own ends, and how viruses will continue to control our fate for years to come. In this eye-opening tour through the frontiers of biology, where scientists are expanding our understanding of life as we know it, we learn that some treatments for the common cold do more harm to us than good; that the world's oceans are home to an astonishing number

Explains the effect of viruses on the body, the diseases they cause, how they can mutate to form retroviruses, and the treatments being used to treat them.

"In the early 1980s, doctors sounded the alarm. A mysterious new disease--acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS--was spreading around the world. While many of the first AIDS patients were gay men, no one seemed to be immune from the deadly blood-borne disease.Reseachers set to work to discover what was causing AIDS. They suspected a virus. Two teams of scientists- one in the United States and one in France - worked tirelessly to identify the virus and to develop a blood test to detect it. The news on April 23, 1984, that the U.S. team, lead by Rober Gallo at the National Cancer Institute, had isolated the virus was a cause for celebration. But in Paris, France, Luc Montagnier and his team at the Pasteur Institute were furious and frustrated. They had uncovered the AIDS virus, they claimed, and now Gallo was taking credit for their discovery.The battle over who would be recognized for discovering the AIDS virus is a complex and compelling story, filled with mystery, deception, and hope. It involves sophisticated microbiology, the coveted Nobel Prize in Medicine, big egos, and great amounts of money. In this book, author Stuart Kallen chronicles this riveting human tale about a bitter scientific rivalry." - Amazon

"The 'Indiana Jones' of virus hunters reveals the complex interactions between humans and viruses, and the threat from viruses that jump from species to species"--Provided by publisher.

New York Times science journalist Grady movingly recounts and contextualizes her 2005 visit to Angola to report on the Marburg virus epidemic. She explains and defines the virus and also briefly covers six other epidemics (avian flu, HIV/AIDS, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, West Nile disease, SARS, and monkeypox).

"This book introduces bacteria and basic microbiological concepts to readers without previous background in the subject. Each chapter concentrates on a particular topic and can be read in isolation or as part of the whole, and wherever possible points are illustrated through real-world examples and short stories. Although bacterial scientific names are used and translated when possible, in general scientific jargon is avoided in order to make the material as accessible as possible for the lay reader"-- Provided by publisher.

Highlights the key role that bacteria play in shaping the ecology of our planet, how some bacteria make their own food while others feed on ready-made food, and how some do indeed cause disease, while most do not. Case studies examine the development of new vaccines against bacterial diseases and the use of bacteria to help fight pollution.

This book introduces you to the microscopic world of bacteria, from blue green algae to spirochetes. It examines how bacteria move, feed, and reproduce. It also looks at the benefits and drawbacks of how people use bacteria, as well as our body's defense against harmful bacteria.

Provides introductory information on the causes, treatment, and history of drug-resistant superbugs.