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A review by laurapk
Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus by David Quammen
5.0
“Infectious diseases are so globalized (...) A disease anywhere is a disease everywhere.”
Well researched, detailed, and funny, "Breathless" is a great summary on the current knowledge (not misinformation) regarding COVID-19 viral origins. Spoiler alert: we do not yet know, and the author does present arguments in favor of multiple theories, including a lab-origin one. However, the strongest data support a natural spillover hypothesis--and this is where I (and the author apparently) continue to stand. Yes, lab accidents have happened before, but close inspection of the earliest patients, the time of year, the existing data on bat viruses--all point a big fat finger at the natural spillover hypothesis. What I loved about the book is that the author was not afraid of uncertainty. He also tackled complicated science topics with great examples and analogies. I learned a lot from this book, despite my own background in biology. I had no idea for e.g. about the viruses as leftover DNA from parasitic cells hypothesis, even though I knew about Mimiviruses (I had assumed they were further proof of the "viruses first" hypothesis). Quammen did his best to also lighten to mood--and several of his jokes had me laughing out loud. Like when he was discussing the suitability of the trusted dewormer Ivermectin as an anti-viral drug: "That’s because it’s an important and trusted tool among veterinarians and livestock producers for treatment against lice, mites, and parasitic worms. Then again, the claw hammer is an important and trusted tool among carpenters, but it’s not recommended for use in dentistry."
Finally, the book ends with a chilling warning that COVID-19 is not only here with us for the rest of human species' existence, but is very likely only the second big pandemic of the 21st century, and very possibly not the worst. Only by increasing our knowledge of wild viruses and looking at actual data can we hope to prevent a worse case scenario in the near future. I worry the next big pandemic will hit us in about 10 years. I won't be as young anymore. My body won't be able to fight it as well. And I worry, society won't be better equipped (biologically and mentally) either. I worry that societal and political obsession of the less probable (based on current data) hypothesis of an engineered lab leak is only a means to refuse to accept that another zoonotic virus will emerge and colonize us in the future. We cannot hope this scenario away. After all: "Evolution will happen. That’s not a variable, it’s a constant."
Well researched, detailed, and funny, "Breathless" is a great summary on the current knowledge (not misinformation) regarding COVID-19 viral origins. Spoiler alert: we do not yet know, and the author does present arguments in favor of multiple theories, including a lab-origin one. However, the strongest data support a natural spillover hypothesis--and this is where I (and the author apparently) continue to stand. Yes, lab accidents have happened before, but close inspection of the earliest patients, the time of year, the existing data on bat viruses--all point a big fat finger at the natural spillover hypothesis. What I loved about the book is that the author was not afraid of uncertainty. He also tackled complicated science topics with great examples and analogies. I learned a lot from this book, despite my own background in biology. I had no idea for e.g. about the viruses as leftover DNA from parasitic cells hypothesis, even though I knew about Mimiviruses (I had assumed they were further proof of the "viruses first" hypothesis). Quammen did his best to also lighten to mood--and several of his jokes had me laughing out loud. Like when he was discussing the suitability of the trusted dewormer Ivermectin as an anti-viral drug: "That’s because it’s an important and trusted tool among veterinarians and livestock producers for treatment against lice, mites, and parasitic worms. Then again, the claw hammer is an important and trusted tool among carpenters, but it’s not recommended for use in dentistry."
Finally, the book ends with a chilling warning that COVID-19 is not only here with us for the rest of human species' existence, but is very likely only the second big pandemic of the 21st century, and very possibly not the worst. Only by increasing our knowledge of wild viruses and looking at actual data can we hope to prevent a worse case scenario in the near future. I worry the next big pandemic will hit us in about 10 years. I won't be as young anymore. My body won't be able to fight it as well. And I worry, society won't be better equipped (biologically and mentally) either. I worry that societal and political obsession of the less probable (based on current data) hypothesis of an engineered lab leak is only a means to refuse to accept that another zoonotic virus will emerge and colonize us in the future. We cannot hope this scenario away. After all: "Evolution will happen. That’s not a variable, it’s a constant."