The Viral Sphere: A Comprehensive Look at the Viruses Around Us, from COVID-19 and the Flu to AIDS and Ebola

◎A must-read book for a comprehensive understanding of viruses.
 
Viruses in History
The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in late 2019, devastated the world and brought about many irreversible impacts, with the coronavirus that caused the pandemic attracting widespread attention. In addition to coronaviruses, many other viruses are closely related to humans: poliovirus causes paralysis, influenza virus causes pandemics, and hepatitis viruses can even directly lead to liver cancer. Some virus-induced epidemics have even become major events in human history, including smallpox, plague (hantavirus), Spanish flu, and the highly lethal but repeatedly erupting Ebola virus. But what exactly is a virus?
 
Are Viruses Living Organisms?
When it comes to viruses, the most common debate in academia is whether they should be classified as part of living organisms. They have genetic material (DNA, RNA) and can reproduce, but they lack the ability to move and must rely on a host to replicate. The author of this book, Frank Ryan, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London, believes that we should include viruses within the scope of living organisms and analyzes the nature of viruses from epidemiological, ecological, and evolutionary perspectives. The author begins by introducing common human viruses through classic historical cases, detailing the characteristics, transmission methods, and infection mechanisms of various virus families, their impact on historical records and the socioeconomic conditions of the time, their discovery history, the symptoms and diseases they cause, and human responses to their evolution. At the same time, he emphasizes the co-evolutionary strategies of viruses and hosts through the characteristics of different virus families.
 
Viruses are a Major Driving Force in Species Evolution
Viruses not only cause diseases, but they also have a significant impact on organisms throughout the biosphere. This book also traces viruses from poultry and livestock to the archaea in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, the origin of life, documenting the impact of viruses on them and on the ecosystem. Viruses are an integral part of the evolution of life on Earth, coexisting with life on Earth and playing a crucial role in maintaining the health of the biosphere. Viruses exist in every corner where there is life, profoundly affecting humans and the entire biosphere.