National Book Award finalist Breathless tells the story of the
worldwide scientific race to decipher the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, trace
its source, and make possible the vaccines to fight the Covid-19
pandemic--a "luminous, passionate account of the defining crisis of
our time." (The New York Times).
Breathless is a "gripping" (The Atlantic) but "clear-eyed analysis"
(Time) of SARs-CoV-2 and its fierce journey through the human
population, as seen by the scientists who study its origin, its
ever-changing nature, and its capacity to kill us. David Quammen
expertly shows how strange new viruses emerge from animals into humans
as we disrupt wild ecosystems and how those viruses adapt to their human
hosts, sometimes causing global catastrophe. He explains why this
coronavirus will probably be a "forever virus," destined to circulate
among humans and bedevil us endlessly, in one variant form or another.
As scientists labor to catch it, comprehend it, and control it, with
their high-tech tools and methods, the virus finds ways of escape.
Based on interviews with nearly one hundred scientists, including
leading virologists in China and around the world, Quammen explains
that:
-Infectious disease experts saw this pandemic coming
-Some scientists, for more than two decades, warned that "the next big
one" would be caused by a changeable new virus--very possibly a
coronavirus--but such warnings were ignored for political or economic
reasons
-The precise origins of this virus may not be known for years, but some
clues are compelling, and some suppositions can be dismissed
-And much more
Written by "one of our finest explainers of the natural world for
decades" (Chicago Tribune), This "compelling and terrifying" (The New
York Times) account is an unparalleled look inside the frantic
international race to understand and control SARS-CoV-2--and what it
might mean for the next potential global health crisis.
