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Almost every animal will at some time or other become the home of a parasite. Not only are parasites the most sucessful life-forms on Earth, they triggered the development of sex, shape, ecosystems, and have driven the engine of evolution. Carl Zimmer describes the frightening and amazing ingenuity these commando invaders use to devour their hosts from the inside and control their behaviour. "Sacculina carcini" makes its home in an unlucky crab and proceeds to eat everything but what the crab needs to put food in its mouth, which "Sacculina" then consumes. Single-celled "Toxoplama gondi" has an even more insidious role, for it can invade the human brain and cause personality changes, making its host less afraid and more prone to danger and a violent end - so that, in the carnage, it will be able to move on to another host. Finally, Zimmer concludes that humankind itself is a new kind of parasite, one that preys on the entire earth. If we are to achieve the sophistication of the parasites on display here in vivid detail, if we are to promote the flourishing of life in all its diversity as they do, we must learn the ways nature lives with itself, the laws of "Parasite Rex".
- Sales Rank: #1067685 in Books
- Published on: 2008-10-15
- Original language: English
- Binding: Library Binding
- 298 pages
Amazon.com Review
Many books provoke a visceral reaction, but few really make you itch. Science writer Carl Zimmer's Parasite Rex does just that, provoking a deliciously creepy sense of paranoia in the reader as it explores a long-misunderstood realm of science. While entomologists love to announce that there are more species of insects than all other animals combined, few parasitologists choose to trump that by reminding us that "parasites may outnumber free-living species four to one." That figure is based on the multicellular chauvinism of the 19th century, which excludes bacteria and fungi from consideration (athlete's foot, anyone?), but Zimmer looks at the E. coli in our guts as well as the worms, flukes, mites, and other critters that earn a healthy living at our expense--and the expense of our domesticated plants and animals.
The author traveled to Africa to see firsthand the effects of sleeping sickness and river blindness. He learned from physicians and researchers that the parasites that wreak so much havoc are much more than the simple degenerates we've taken them for. Their complex adaptations to their environments--us--are as lovely and awe-inspiring as any eye or wing. The examples of hormonal and other behavioral control of hosts, causing changes in feeding habits and other life essentials, are chilling when personalized. Zimmer knows his subject well, and his writing, while robust and affecting, never descends to the all-too-easy gross-out. You wouldn't expect to find respect for a tapeworm, but Parasite Rex will show you how beautiful Earth's truly dominant life forms are. --Rob Lightner
From Publishers Weekly
One of the year's most fascinating works of popular science is also its most disgusting. From tapeworms to isopods to ichneumon wasps, "parasites are complex, highly adapted creatures that are at the heart of the story of life." Zimmer (At the Water's Edge) devotes his second book to the enormous variety of one- and many-celled organisms that live on and inside other animals and plants. The gruesome trypanosomes that cause sleeping sickness had nearly been routed from Sudan when the country's civil war began: now they're back. Costa Rican researcher Daniel Brooks has discovered dozens of parasites, including flies that lay eggs in deer noses: "snot bots." And those are only the creatures from the prologue. Zimmer discusses how the study of parasites began, with 19th-century discoveries about their odd life cycles. (Many take on several forms in several generations, so that a mother worm may resemble her granddaughter, but not her daughter.) He looks at how parasites pass from host to host, and how they defeat immune systems and vice versa. Many parasites alter their hosts' behavior: Toxoplasma makes infected rats fearless, thus more likely to be eaten by cats, who will then pick up the microbe. Quantifiable "laws of virulence" lead parasites to become nasty enough to spread, yet not so nasty as to wipe out all their hosts. And eons of coevolution can affect both partners: howler monkeys may avoid violent fights because screwworms can render the least scratch fatal. Two final chapters address parasites in human medicine and agriculture. Not only are parasites not all bad, Zimmer concludes in this exemplary work of popular science, but we may be parasites, tooDand we have a lot to learn from them about how to manage earth, the host we share. Illus. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Zimmer, a columnist at National History, has written an absolutely fascinating book about parasitesDonce the reader gets past the "grossness" factor. As with his previous book, At the Water's Edge (LJ 2/1/98), evolution is central: Zimmer considers not only how parasites have evolved but how they may have helped the evolution of other species. Though humans are not the only species discussed, some of the most interesting evolutionary theories come from human-parasite relations. Mild cases of sickle cell anemia, for instance, seem to protect against malaria, implying that these sorts of blood diseases have evolved with the aid of parasites. The author discusses more recent research suggesting that some modern diseases, such as allergies or ulcerative colitis, may actually be triggered by our immune systems' not having parasites to fight. This well-written book makes parasitology interesting and accessible to anyone. Not a textbook (a few good ones are recommended in a selected bibliography), it does have a place in science libraries, even for students who don't realize that their field of study is related to parasitology. Recommended for public and academic libraries.DMargaret Henderson, Cold Spring Harbor Academics, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Most helpful customer reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
And the author's skill at making it entertaining as hell is amazing. Clearly
By Michelle B
This book is FABULOUS. Who knew the world of parasites could be so interesting. And the author's skill at making it entertaining as hell is amazing. Clearly, a tremendously gifted writer. Never heard of him before this book, but I'll be checking out his other writings.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Good writing, no illustrations
By F. Moyer
Though it sounds odd, this book gave me a profound respect for parasites – and an understanding of just how difficult it can be to study them. Indeed, for some young adults, reading this book could be the career-deciding event in their young lives.
So why just three stars? Two reasons.
First, the lack of illustrations. Nature books -- especially of such strange creatures with their multi-stage life cycle – cry out for photos and illustrations. So although the text was very good, with nothing but words to go by, the visual images that the reader unconsciously comes up with could be far off the mark. (I.e., Picture visiting a natural science museum that has signs but no exhibits.)
Second, the book sometimes speculates about the influence that parasites may have had on evolution and animal behavior. Though such speculations make for interesting thought experiments, they are by their very nature unprovable.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
I love parasites
By Karin Christensen
I received this book just a week ago and finished it in four days. It would have read it faster but I had to nurse myself through the flu for a day. I have always found the life cycles of parasites including viruses to be one of the most fascinating subjects in biology. I could easily spend all of my free time learning about the odd cycles, through many different life forms if I didn't have anything else to do. The author also discusses how parasites may have found or forced themselves in these strange paths and how they have played a major role in the formation of life today. I learned a great many new things. If I had met Carl Zimmer on a blind date I would have been totally captivated. He wouldn't have been able to get rid of me! Great book.
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