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A review by myjourneywithbooks
Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19 by Matt Ridley
5.0
In the beginning we were told it originated in a meat market in Wuhan. But soon conspiracy theories emerged about lab leaks and engineered viruses. Or were they conspiracy theories? The question still remains, where did the virus known as SARS-CoV-2 come from?
Written by genetic engineering expert Dr. Alina Chan and renowned science writer Matt Ridley, Viral explores the possible origins of the virus that has wreaked havoc the world over. Highly methodical and well researched, the book will take you from bat-infested caves to food markets to advanced laboratories in an attempt to provide a detailed background to the hypotheses examined within its pages.
Honestly, all I knew before reading this book was that the virus had somehow jumped from bats to other wild animals and then humans, the first transmission suspected to have taken place in a market in Wuhan. I had more recently been hearing suggestions of lab leaks and the words gain of function. But that was about it. If that's the extent of your knowledge as well (or even if not), reading Viral is sure to be an eye-opener.
Going as far back as 2012, the authors outline the relationship between bats, viruses and scientists. Each chapter goes into great detail in an efforto teach the reader something new, whether it's the comparison between SARS and SARS-CoV-2 or the way viruses have been modified in labs or the varied responses of different scientists from around the world.
While everything is sufficiently explained and defined even for the layman to understand, I feel it would help appreciate the book better if you went into it with some basic knowledge of viruses and genetic engineering. Even with that I felt a little lost in a few places but the authors repeat their explanations without appearing repetitive that by the time you finish the book, the facts will all be clear in your mind.
The point of the book is not to claim without a doubt that the virus originated from a lab leak but to raise awareness on the importance of treating and investing both the natural spillover and the lab leak hypotheses equally. And it succeeds in doing that in a very gripping style.
Written by genetic engineering expert Dr. Alina Chan and renowned science writer Matt Ridley, Viral explores the possible origins of the virus that has wreaked havoc the world over. Highly methodical and well researched, the book will take you from bat-infested caves to food markets to advanced laboratories in an attempt to provide a detailed background to the hypotheses examined within its pages.
Honestly, all I knew before reading this book was that the virus had somehow jumped from bats to other wild animals and then humans, the first transmission suspected to have taken place in a market in Wuhan. I had more recently been hearing suggestions of lab leaks and the words gain of function. But that was about it. If that's the extent of your knowledge as well (or even if not), reading Viral is sure to be an eye-opener.
Going as far back as 2012, the authors outline the relationship between bats, viruses and scientists. Each chapter goes into great detail in an efforto teach the reader something new, whether it's the comparison between SARS and SARS-CoV-2 or the way viruses have been modified in labs or the varied responses of different scientists from around the world.
While everything is sufficiently explained and defined even for the layman to understand, I feel it would help appreciate the book better if you went into it with some basic knowledge of viruses and genetic engineering. Even with that I felt a little lost in a few places but the authors repeat their explanations without appearing repetitive that by the time you finish the book, the facts will all be clear in your mind.
The point of the book is not to claim without a doubt that the virus originated from a lab leak but to raise awareness on the importance of treating and investing both the natural spillover and the lab leak hypotheses equally. And it succeeds in doing that in a very gripping style.