The past year has been one of viral panic—panic about viruses, that is. Through headlines, public health warnings, and at least one homemade hazmat suit, we were reminded of the powerful force of viruses. They are the smallest living things known to science, yet they can hold the entire planet in their sway.
A Planet of Viruses is Carl Zimmer’s eye-opening look at the hidden world of viruses. Zimmer, the popular science writer and author of National Geographic’s award-winning blog The Loom, has updated this edition to include the stories of new outbreaks, such as Ebola, MERS, and chikungunya virus; new scientific discoveries, such as a hundred-million-year-old virus that infected the common ancestor of armadillos, elephants, and humans; and new findings that show why climate change may lead to even deadlier outbreaks. Zimmer’s lucid explanations and fascinating stories demonstrate how deeply humans and viruses are intertwined. Viruses helped give rise to the first life-forms, are responsible for many of our most devastating diseases, and will continue to control our fate for centuries. Thoroughly readable, and as reassuring as it is frightening, A Planet of Viruses is a fascinating tour of a formidable hidden world.

过去的一年是病毒恐慌的一年，也就是对病毒的恐慌。通过头条新闻、公共卫生警告和至少一件自制的危险品防护服，我们被提醒了病毒的强大力量。它们是科学界已知的最小的生物，却能左右整个地球。

《病毒星球》是卡尔-齐默对病毒这个隐秘世界的一次大开眼界。齐默是深受欢迎的科普作家，也是《国家地理》杂志获奖博客 "织布机 "的作者，他更新了这一版的内容，包括新的病毒爆发的故事，如埃博拉病毒、MERS和基孔肯雅病毒；新的科学发现，如一种有一亿年历史的病毒，它感染了犰狳、大象和人类的共同祖先；还有新的发现，表明为什么气候变化可能会导致更致命的病毒爆发。齐美尔清晰的解释和引人入胜的故事展示了人类和病毒是如何深刻地交织在一起。病毒帮助产生了第一批生命形式，是我们许多最具破坏性的疾病的罪魁祸首，并将继续控制我们的命运数百年。彻底的可读性和令人安心的可怕，《病毒星球》是对一个可怕的隐秘世界的迷人之旅。