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Sep 13, 2012

Thoughts on Spillover

Editing is done-for now. I'm in the middle of the arc for Spillover, non fiction by David Quammen. It's a real life scientific detective story about viruses that spillover from animals to humans, the term Quammen uses is zoonosis. Spillover comes out in October, and I've been on the list for this arc for two months! It makes you realize the many saves that the CDC and virologists around the world make, we only get screaming headlines about SARS and H1N1 but have you ever heard of Hendra? or Marburg? or the scientist who stuck herself with a needle containing Ebola, and lived.

Quammen paints a scary but fascinating portrait of the viruses, those that track them and develop life saving vaccines and the conditions that have to exist for the virus to jump from animal to man.

I'm also reading Frozen Heat by 'Richard Castle'

And back in the horrified fascination category What's the matter with Kansas by Thomas Frank. (I'm trying to educate myself for the upcoming election even though I'm not allowed to vote)

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