Understanding Germ Warfare

by Scientific American

In 1969, US Surgeon General William H. Stewart said that it was time to close the book on infectious disease. But the enemy, and the power of natural selection, had been underestimated. The sober... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446679542
• ISBN13: 9780446679541
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: Warner Books (NY)
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

This book is worth reading if you are interested in Biological warfare and germs

This book explains how germs become immune to different medicines. It gives many examples of diseases and many possibilities to what the future may have in store for us. Unfortunatly, everything in this book is true so all of the stories of diseases that killed thousands of people were not fiction. During the time of these diseases, the correct vaccines and antibiotics were unknown so many people and animals were killed because of them. Their are many countries working on developing biological weapons but only a few worry the united states because of their past relationship with the US. This book is definently worth reading if you are interested in this kind of stuff.

Sadly, too relevant!

In many ways, it would be much better if this book was pure, speculative fiction. Unfortunately, after the terrorist events of 2001, including the anthrax releases, this book is all too timely.The style of writing bears Scientific American's usual editorial skill, as applied to all the articles, written by experts in their fields. Topics discussed include how germs can attack humans, and the current precautions we can take. However, germs can evolve resistance, so we do not face a static picture.Perhaps the scariest topics describe how a biolab can deliberately modify an existing bacteria or virus, to amplify its danger to us. Unlike nuclear proliferation, the technology required here is much less capital intensive and the knowledge base is far more widely dispersed.