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SoBrief
Searching...
Six Modern Plagues and How We Are Causing Them
by Mark Jerome Walters • 2003
Epidemics do not strike randomly. They follow the roads we built and the forests we cut.
3.71
178
Six Modern Plagues and How We Are Causing Them Summary
Six Modern Plagues and How We Are Causing Them 92%
Epidemics do not strike randomly. They follow the roads we built and the forests we cut.
by Mark Jerome Walters 2003
3.71
178 ratings
The Hot Zone
by Richard Preston • 1994
Ebola turns organs to liquid, kills nine in ten. In 1989, it surfaced in suburban Virginia.
4.16
122k+
The Hot Zone Summary
The Hot Zone 91%
Ebola turns organs to liquid, kills nine in ten. In 1989, it surfaced in suburban Virginia.
by Richard Preston 1994
4.16
122k+ ratings
Deadliest Enemy
by Michael T. Osterholm • 2017
Microbes evolve in 20 minutes; humans take 25 years. That gap is our deadliest vulnerability.
4.33
3k+
Deadliest Enemy Summary
Deadliest Enemy 91%
Microbes evolve in 20 minutes; humans take 25 years. That gap is our deadliest vulnerability.
by Michael T. Osterholm 2017
4.33
3k+ ratings
A Planet of Viruses
by Carl Zimmer • 2011
Viruses aren't just enemies. They built our DNA, rule the oceans, and may have sparked life.
4.06
5k+
A Planet of Viruses Summary
A Planet of Viruses 90%
Viruses aren't just enemies. They built our DNA, rule the oceans, and may have sparked life.
by Carl Zimmer 2011
4.06
5k+ ratings
Zoobiquity
by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz • 2012
A cardiologist walked into a zoo. Animals were dying of the same diseases her patients had.
4.19
16
Zoobiquity Summary
Zoobiquity 90%
A cardiologist walked into a zoo. Animals were dying of the same diseases her patients had.
by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz 2012
4.19
16 ratings
Zoobiquity
by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz • 2012
Animals faint, self-harm, and overdose just like we do; their doctors know why ours don't.
4.12
3k+
Zoobiquity Summary
Zoobiquity 90%
Animals faint, self-harm, and overdose just like we do; their doctors know why ours don't.
by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz 2012
4.12
3k+ ratings
Mosquito
by Andrew Spielman • 2001
Smaller than a fingernail, deadlier than all wars combined: the insect that decided empires.
3.89
436
Mosquito Summary
Mosquito 90%
Smaller than a fingernail, deadlier than all wars combined: the insect that decided empires.
by Andrew Spielman 2001
3.89
436 ratings
The Wisdom of Plagues
by Donald G. Mcneil Jr. • 2024
Pandemics are human-made disasters. COVID proved it, and 25 years of reporting shows exactly how.
4.11
343
The Wisdom of Plagues Summary
The Wisdom of Plagues 90%
Pandemics are human-made disasters. COVID proved it, and 25 years of reporting shows exactly how.
by Donald G. Mcneil Jr. 2024
4.11
343 ratings
Foreign Bodies
by Simon Schama • 2023
How smallpox, cholera, and plague shaped the modern world, and why we keep repeating the mistakes.
3.58
580
Foreign Bodies Summary
Foreign Bodies 90%
How smallpox, cholera, and plague shaped the modern world, and why we keep repeating the mistakes.
by Simon Schama 2023
3.58
580 ratings
World War C
by Sanjay Gupta • 2021
We simulated this exact pandemic. It went exactly as predicted. Why wasn't anyone ready?
4.04
904
World War C Summary
World War C 89%
We simulated this exact pandemic. It went exactly as predicted. Why wasn't anyone ready?
by Sanjay Gupta 2021
4.04
904 ratings
How to Prevent the Next Pandemic
by Bill Gates • 2022
Most of COVID's suffering was avoidable. The blueprint to ensure nothing like it happens again.
3.76
2k+
How to Prevent the Next Pandemic Summary
How to Prevent the Next Pandemic 89%
Most of COVID's suffering was avoidable. The blueprint to ensure nothing like it happens again.
by Bill Gates 2022
3.76
2k+ ratings
Crisis Averted
by Caitlin Rivers • 2024
Public health saves millions; why do we starve it until a crisis hits?
4.16
247
Crisis Averted Summary
Crisis Averted 89%
Public health saves millions; why do we starve it until a crisis hits?
by Caitlin Rivers 2024
4.16
247 ratings
What Really Happened in Wuhan
by Sharri Markson • 2021
A Wuhan lab studying bat viruses had sick workers in November; then the pandemic began.
4.19
1k+
What Really Happened in Wuhan Summary
What Really Happened in Wuhan 89%
A Wuhan lab studying bat viruses had sick workers in November; then the pandemic began.
by Sharri Markson 2021
4.19
1k+ ratings
Patient Zero
by Lydia Kang • 2021
The hunt for patient zero almost always finds a scapegoat, not a cause.
4.13
3k+
Patient Zero Summary
Patient Zero 89%
The hunt for patient zero almost always finds a scapegoat, not a cause.
by Lydia Kang 2021
4.13
3k+ ratings
The Premonition
by Michael Lewis • 2021
A handful of outsiders saw COVID-19 coming and built the warning system the CDC refused to.
4.32
43k+
The Premonition Summary
The Premonition 88%
A handful of outsiders saw COVID-19 coming and built the warning system the CDC refused to.
by Michael Lewis 2021
4.32
43k+ ratings
This Is Your Brain on Parasites
by Kathleen McAuliffe • 2016
A parasite makes rats run toward cats. It may shape your personality, politics, and disgust.
3.98
3k+
This Is Your Brain on Parasites Summary
This Is Your Brain on Parasites 88%
A parasite makes rats run toward cats. It may shape your personality, politics, and disgust.
by Kathleen McAuliffe 2016
3.98
3k+ ratings
Search for the Golden Moon Bear
by Sy Montgomery • 2002
One golden bear, unknown to science. The search for the first new bear species in a century.
3.83
127
Search for the Golden Moon Bear Summary
Search for the Golden Moon Bear 88%
One golden bear, unknown to science. The search for the first new bear species in a century.
by Sy Montgomery 2002
3.83
127 ratings
The Sixth Extinction
by Elizabeth Kolbert • 2014
The planet's fifth mass extinction killed the dinosaurs. We are the cause of the sixth.
4.15
80k+
The Sixth Extinction Summary
The Sixth Extinction 88%
The planet's fifth mass extinction killed the dinosaurs. We are the cause of the sixth.
by Elizabeth Kolbert 2014
4.15
80k+ ratings
Darwin's Radio
by Greg Bear • 1999
A dormant virus stirs in our genome, turning pregnancy into the engine of human evolution.
3.73
17k+
Darwin's Radio Summary
Darwin's Radio 88%
A dormant virus stirs in our genome, turning pregnancy into the engine of human evolution.
by Greg Bear 1999
3.73
17k+ ratings
COVID-19
by Michael Mosley • 2020
Why this virus spreads before symptoms, and the science-backed ways to strengthen your defenses.
3.91
224
COVID-19 Summary
COVID-19 88%
Why this virus spreads before symptoms, and the science-backed ways to strengthen your defenses.
by Michael Mosley 2020
3.91
224 ratings
Deception
by Rand Paul • 2023
The lab-leak evidence the NIH buried and the scientific establishment's campaign to dismiss it.
4.47
549
Deception Summary
Deception 88%
The lab-leak evidence the NIH buried and the scientific establishment's campaign to dismiss it.
by Rand Paul 2023
4.47
549 ratings
The Rules of Contagion
by Adam Kucharski • 2020
Why tweets go viral and banks collapse: the hidden math that governs what spreads.
3.86
2k+
The Rules of Contagion Summary
The Rules of Contagion 88%
Why tweets go viral and banks collapse: the hidden math that governs what spreads.
by Adam Kucharski 2020
3.86
2k+ ratings
Darwin Comes to Town
by Menno Schilthuizen • 2018
Evolution is unfolding faster on concrete than in any rainforest, right under your feet.
4.10
2k+
Darwin Comes to Town Summary
Darwin Comes to Town 88%
Evolution is unfolding faster on concrete than in any rainforest, right under your feet.
by Menno Schilthuizen 2018
4.10
2k+ ratings
Quarantine Life from Cholera to COVID-19
by Kari Nixon • 2021
Quarantine backfires without consent. History's real defenses: distancing and community.
3.85
169
Quarantine Life from Cholera to COVID-19 Summary
Quarantine Life from Cholera to COVID-19 88%
Quarantine backfires without consent. History's real defenses: distancing and community.
by Kari Nixon 2021
3.85
169 ratings
Plagues and Peoples
by William H. McNeill • 1976
Athens and Rome fell to a force their strategists ignored: disease, not decadence.
3.87
5k+
Plagues and Peoples Summary
Plagues and Peoples 88%
Athens and Rome fell to a force their strategists ignored: disease, not decadence.
by William H. McNeill 1976
3.87
5k+ ratings
Domesticated
by Richard C. Francis • 2015
Selecting for tameness remakes body, brain, and behavior. The same force may have shaped us.
3.98
594
Domesticated Summary
Domesticated 88%
Selecting for tameness remakes body, brain, and behavior. The same force may have shaped us.
by Richard C. Francis 2015
3.98
594 ratings
Vanishing Treasures
by Katherine Rundell • 2024
Swifts that never land, sharks that outlive empires. What we're losing, and the hope we owe.
4.15
5k+
Vanishing Treasures Summary
Vanishing Treasures 88%
Swifts that never land, sharks that outlive empires. What we're losing, and the hope we owe.
by Katherine Rundell 2024
4.15
5k+ ratings
The Story of the Human Body
by Daniel E. Lieberman • 2013
Our bodies evolved for a vanished world, and the mismatch now drives modern chronic disease.
4.27
9k+
The Story of the Human Body Summary
The Story of the Human Body 88%
Our bodies evolved for a vanished world, and the mismatch now drives modern chronic disease.
by Daniel E. Lieberman 2013
4.27
9k+ ratings
The Next Species
by Michael Tennesen • 2015
Five mass extinctions cleared the board. The sixth is us, and evolution is picking the survivors.
3.71
310
The Next Species Summary
The Next Species 88%
Five mass extinctions cleared the board. The sixth is us, and evolution is picking the survivors.
by Michael Tennesen 2015
3.71
310 ratings
Under a White Sky
by Elizabeth Kolbert • 2021
Every environmental solution spawns a new problem. The next ones alter genes and block the sun.
4.10
13k+
Under a White Sky Summary
Under a White Sky 87%
Every environmental solution spawns a new problem. The next ones alter genes and block the sun.
by Elizabeth Kolbert 2021
4.10
13k+ ratings
Longshot
by David Heath • 2022
338 days from sequence to shot. The twenty years of failure that made it possible.
4.16
140
Longshot Summary
Longshot 87%
338 days from sequence to shot. The twenty years of failure that made it possible.
by David Heath 2022
4.16
140 ratings
The Good Virus
by Tom Ireland • 2023
Bacteria-eating viruses saved lives for a century. Then the West abandoned them as antibiotics rose.
4.38
669
The Good Virus Summary
The Good Virus 87%
Bacteria-eating viruses saved lives for a century. Then the West abandoned them as antibiotics rose.
by Tom Ireland 2023
4.38
669 ratings
Pathogenesis
by Jonathan Kennedy • 2023
Microbes, not men, wrote history. Eight plagues that toppled empires and built the modern world.
3.94
12k+
Pathogenesis Summary
Pathogenesis 87%
Microbes, not men, wrote history. Eight plagues that toppled empires and built the modern world.
by Jonathan Kennedy 2023
3.94
12k+ ratings
A Primate's Memoir
by Robert M. Sapolsky • 2001
A young scientist joins a baboon troop expecting gorillas and finds violence, humor, and himself.
4.39
9k+
A Primate's Memoir Summary
A Primate's Memoir 87%
A young scientist joins a baboon troop expecting gorillas and finds violence, humor, and himself.
by Robert M. Sapolsky 2001
4.39
9k+ ratings
An Epidemic of Absence
by Moises Velasquez-Manoff • 2012
Parasites taught immune systems what to ignore. Without them, the body mistakes itself for a threat.
4.15
880
An Epidemic of Absence Summary
An Epidemic of Absence 87%
Parasites taught immune systems what to ignore. Without them, the body mistakes itself for a threat.
by Moises Velasquez-Manoff 2012
4.15
880 ratings
Venomous
by Christie Wilcox • 2016
Venom is a precision biochemical weapon. Medicine is learning to retarget it against disease.
4.11
2k+
Venomous Summary
Venomous 87%
Venom is a precision biochemical weapon. Medicine is learning to retarget it against disease.
by Christie Wilcox 2016
4.11
2k+ ratings
Staying with the Trouble
by Donna J. Haraway • 2016
There is no escape from collapse, only forging ties with critters, compost, and the dead.
4.04
3k+
Staying with the Trouble Summary
Staying with the Trouble 87%
There is no escape from collapse, only forging ties with critters, compost, and the dead.
by Donna J. Haraway 2016
4.04
3k+ ratings
Coyote America
by Dan Flores • 2016
America's century-long war on coyotes failed so completely they now roam downtown Chicago.
4.08
8k+
Coyote America Summary
Coyote America 87%
America's century-long war on coyotes failed so completely they now roam downtown Chicago.
by Dan Flores 2016
4.08
8k+ ratings
The Secret Wisdom of Nature
by Peter Wohlleben • 2017
Why a wolf can reroute a river, and salmon feed the forest: nature's invisible connections.
4.05
7k+
The Secret Wisdom of Nature Summary
The Secret Wisdom of Nature 87%
Why a wolf can reroute a river, and salmon feed the forest: nature's invisible connections.
by Peter Wohlleben 2017
4.05
7k+ ratings
The Future of Life
by Edward O. Wilson • 2002
Extinction runs 1,000 times too fast. The bottleneck is not knowledge but a global land ethic.
4.14
3k+
The Future of Life Summary
The Future of Life 87%
Extinction runs 1,000 times too fast. The bottleneck is not knowledge but a global land ethic.
by Edward O. Wilson 2002
4.14
3k+ ratings
Uncontrolled Spread
by Scott Gottlieb • 2021
Every part of America's pandemic defense was designed for a different war.
4.06
1k+
Uncontrolled Spread Summary
Uncontrolled Spread 87%
Every part of America's pandemic defense was designed for a different war.
by Scott Gottlieb 2021
4.06
1k+ ratings
Chimera
by Mira Grant • 2015
A tapeworm wearing a human face fights to survive the war between the species she straddles.
3.84
6k+
Chimera Summary
Chimera 87%
A tapeworm wearing a human face fights to survive the war between the species she straddles.
by Mira Grant 2015
3.84
6k+ ratings
The Mushroom at the End of the World
by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing • 2015
A global commodity mushroom reveals how life, value, and freedom endure in capitalism's wreckage.
3.96
8k+
The Mushroom at the End of the World Summary
The Mushroom at the End of the World 87%
A global commodity mushroom reveals how life, value, and freedom endure in capitalism's wreckage.
by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing 2015
3.96
8k+ ratings
Evolution
by Carl Zimmer • 2001
One idea explains elaborate plumage, the fossil record, and why antibiotics stop working: evolution.
4.11
5k+
Evolution Summary
Evolution 87%
One idea explains elaborate plumage, the fossil record, and why antibiotics stop working: evolution.
by Carl Zimmer 2001
4.11
5k+ ratings
Clean
by James Hamblin • 2020
Your skin hosts trillions of microbes. Overwashing can destroy the ones that protect you.
3.89
5k+
Clean Summary
Clean 87%
Your skin hosts trillions of microbes. Overwashing can destroy the ones that protect you.
by James Hamblin 2020
3.89
5k+ ratings
Animal Madness
by Laurel Braitman • 2014
Dogs get panic attacks. Parrots self-harm. What animal mental illness reveals about our own.
3.85
1k+
Animal Madness Summary
Animal Madness 87%
Dogs get panic attacks. Parrots self-harm. What animal mental illness reveals about our own.
by Laurel Braitman 2014
3.85
1k+ ratings
Movement Matters
by Katy Bowman • 2016
Movement is biology, not exercise. The true cost of outsourcing it reaches beyond your body.
4.28
850
Movement Matters Summary
Movement Matters 87%
Movement is biology, not exercise. The true cost of outsourcing it reaches beyond your body.
by Katy Bowman 2016
4.28
850 ratings
The Rescue Effect
by Michael Mehta Webster • 2022
Species have hidden backup systems that kick in under stress. The best conservation helps them work.
3.94
52
The Rescue Effect Summary
The Rescue Effect 87%
Species have hidden backup systems that kick in under stress. The best conservation helps them work.
by Michael Mehta Webster 2022
3.94
52 ratings
I Contain Multitudes
by Ed Yong • 2016
Not a self, but an ecosystem. Microbes built your organs and may direct your brain.
4.17
32k+
I Contain Multitudes Summary
I Contain Multitudes 87%
Not a self, but an ecosystem. Microbes built your organs and may direct your brain.
by Ed Yong 2016
4.17
32k+ ratings
A Crack in Creation
by Jennifer A. Doudna • 2017
The tool to rewrite the human genome came from bacteria. Our wisdom is still catching up.
4.13
7k+
A Crack in Creation Summary
A Crack in Creation 87%
The tool to rewrite the human genome came from bacteria. Our wisdom is still catching up.
by Jennifer A. Doudna 2017
4.13
7k+ ratings
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