Air-Borne

An extraordinary history of the perils and promise of every breath we take -- James Nestor, New York Times bestselling author of Breath Another brilliant work from one of the very best science writers, Air-Borne will leave you agog at the incredible world that floats unseen around us, and outraged at the forces that stopped us from appreciating that world until, for many people, it was too late. It is a book about how much there is still left to know, and how frustrating it can be to turn knowledge into wisdom -- Ed Yong, New York Times bestselling author of An Immense World A fish doesn’t know it’s wet. And we rarely recognize that we are bathed in air, air carrying multitudes of microbes. Air-Borne chronicles the history of this insight. With Zimmer’s usual superb writing, it is filled with fascinating science, visionary scientists who were often completely wrong, and poignant moments reflecting the vast human suffering caused by such microbes. And throughout is the dread that makes Air-Borne a page-turner – the knowledge that the air eventually carried SARS-Cov2 and may yet bring something worse. Air-Borne is deeply important and unsettling -- Robert Sapolsky, New York Times bestselling author of Determined Carl Zimmer details the long history of studying microbes in the air and explains why that science got derailed. It’s a fascinating and also cautionary tale -- Walter Isaacson, New York Times bestselling author of The Code Breaker The air we breathe is the most important thing in the world to us. Yet most of us pay no attention to it. Carl Zimmer has. Through his signature in-depth reporting and lively narrative stories, he shows us what a dynamic force our air is, profoundly shaping our health and evolutionary history. Air-Borne is also an urgent call to understand the invisible species floating around us, so that we don't make the same mistakes in the next public health crisis that we face -- Sam Kean, author of Caesar's Last Breath Carl Zimmer has a knack for seeing the small things but thinking big. Air-Borne is full of fascinations at both levels. From the first page, you know you’re in the hands of a master -- David Quammen, New York Times bestselling author of Breathless