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Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures
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Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures Paperback - 2001

by Carl Zimmer

Zimmer takes readers on a tour of the strange and bizarre world of parasites, including their ability to rewrite DNA, rewire the brain, and genetically engineer viruses as weapons. 16-page photo insert.


Summary

In this re-issued paperback edition with a new epilogue, Carl Zimmer reveals the power, danger, and beauty of parasites in a book capable of changing how we see the world ( Los Angeles Times ).

For centuries, parasites have lived in nightmares, horror stories, and the darkest shadows of science. In Parasite Rex, Carl Zimmer takes readers on a fantastic voyage into the secret universe of these extraordinary life-formswhich are not only among the most highly evolved on Earth, but make up the majority of lifes diversity. Traveling from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the parasite-riddled war zone of southern Sudan, Zimmer introduces an array of amazing creatures that invade their hosts, prey on them from within, and control their behavior. His vivid descriptions bring to life parasites that can change DNA, rewire the brain, make men more distrustful and women more outgoing, and turn hosts into the living dead.

This comprehensive, gracefully written book brings parasites out into the open and uncovers what they can teach us all about the most fundamental survival tactics in the universethe laws of Parasite Rex.

From the publisher

Combining the literary sensibility of David Quammen with the scientific rigor of Stephen Jay Gould, Carl Zimmer reveals the power, danger, and beauty of the surprising creatures who dominate the earth: parasites. For centuries, parasites have lived in nightmares, horror stories, and the darkest shadows of science. In Parasite Rex, Carl Zimmer takes readers on a fantastic voyage into the secret universe of these extraordinary life-forms--which are not only among the most highly evolved on Earth, but make up the majority of life's diversity. Traveling from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the parasite-riddled war zone of southern Sudan, Zimmer introduces an array of amazing creatures that invade their hosts, prey on them from within, and control their behavior. He also vividly describes parasites that can change DNA, rewire the brain, make men more distrustful and women more outgoing, and turn hosts into the living dead. This comprehensive, gracefully written book brings parasites out into the open and uncovers what they can teach us all about the most fundamental survival tactics in the universe--the laws of Parasite Rex.

First line

In the beginning there was fever.

Details

  • Title Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures
  • Author Carl Zimmer
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition New edition
  • Pages 320
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Atria Books, New York
  • Date 2001-11-09
  • ISBN 9780743200110 / 074320011X
  • Weight 0.69 lbs (0.31 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.4 x 5.84 x 0.8 in (21.34 x 14.83 x 2.03 cm)
  • Themes
    • Topical: Ecology
  • Library of Congress subjects Parasites
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 00037593
  • Dewey Decimal Code 591.785

Media reviews

Susan AdamsForbesZimmer is such an accomplished, vivid writer that he is able to weave these revolting beasts into an engrossing story that you will read to the last page.

About the author

Carl Zimmer, author of At the Water's Edge, is a frequent contributor to Discover, National Geographic, Natural History, Nature, and Science. He is a winner of the Everett Clark Award for science journalism and the American Institute of Biological Sciences Media Award. A John S. Guggenheim Fellow, he has also received the Pan-American Health Organization Award for Excellence in International Health Reporting and the American Institute of Biological Sciences Media Award. His previous books include Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea, Parasite Rex, and At the Water's Edge. He lives in Guilford, Connecticut.
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Parasite Rex (with a New Epilogue) : Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures

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Parasite Rex (with a New Epilogue) : Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous...
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Parasite Rex (with a New Epilogue) : Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures

by Zimmer, Carl

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