Spillover - David Quammen
In his new book Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic (W.W. Norton, $28.95), the veteran science and nature writer David Quammen explores the origins of zoonotic diseases, i.e., infections that jump from animals to humans, such as Ebola, AIDS, SARS, and others. His investigation into the origins of these diseases evokes a peculiar and chilling epidemiological landscape. Quammen goes out into the field and visits places like Bangladesh, Gabon, Australia, and China to talk to scientists, researchers, and survivors of these new maladies. He speculates about the source of the next big pandemic and whether we can predict, let alone prevent, its emergence. This is a masterfully done piece of scientific writing that’s as informative as it is unsettling.
