Parasite Rex

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Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures
ISBN
978-0743200110

Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures is a

parasites on Earth and how the field and study of parasitology formed, along with a look at the most dangerous parasites ever found in nature. A special paperback edition was released in March 2011 for the tenth anniversary of the book's publishing, including a new epilogue written by Zimmer. Signed bookplates were also given to fans that sent in a photo of themselves with a copy of the special edition.[1]

The cover of Parasite Rex includes a scanning electron microscope image of a tick as the focus, along with illustrations in the centerfold of parasites and topics discussed in the book.[2]

Content

The book begins by discussing the history of parasites in human knowledge, from the earliest writings about them in ancient cultures, up through modern times. The focus comes to rest extensively on the views and experiments conducted by scientists in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, such as those done by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, Japetus Steenstrup, Friedrich Küchenmeister, and Ray Lankester. Among them, Leeuwenhoek was the first to ever physically view cells through a microscope, Steenstrup was the first to explain and confirm the multiple stages and life cycles of parasites that are different from most other living organisms, and Küchenmeister, through his religious beliefs and his views on every creature having a place in the natural order, denied the ideas of his time and proved that all parasites are a part of active evolutionary niches and not biological dead ends by conducting morally ambiguous experiments on prisoners. Lankester is given a specific focus and repeated discussion throughout the book due to his belief that parasites are examples of degenerative evolution, especially in regards to Sacculina, and Zimmer's repeated refutation of this idea.[3]

Several chapters are taken to discuss various types of parasites and how they infect and control their hosts, along with the

filarial worms that infect humans and a variety of species, and the USDA National Parasite Collection based out of Maryland.[2][3]

The final chapters focus on an overall effect parasites have had on the

evolution of life and the theory that it is due to parasitic infection that sexual reproduction evolved to become dominant, in contrast to previous asexual reproduction methods, due to the increased genetic variety and thus potential parasitic resistance that this would confer. This research was showcased by W. D. Hamilton and his theories on the evolution of sex, along with the Red Queen hypothesis and the idea of an evolutionary arms race between parasites and their hosts.[4] Zimmer then discusses a final time the wide variety of parasites that evolved to have humans as their primary hosts and our attempts through scientific advancement to eradicate them.[2] The closing chapter considers the positive benefits of parasites and how humans have used them to improve agriculture and medical technology, but also how ill-considered usage of parasites could also destroy various habitats by having them act as invasive species.[5] In the end, Zimmer ponders whether humanity counts as a parasite on the planet and what the effects of this relationship could be.[2]

Style and tone

In a review for Science, Albert O. Bush pointed out how Zimmer creates a writing style that is written with "clarity, conviction, and seemingly without prejudice" and that while the "purist will find the odd mistakes, oversights, and minor errors of fact", these are "insignificant" and do not remove from Parasite Rex's "overall quality or, more importantly, its focus and take-home message."[2]

Reception

The American Biology Teacher by Donald A. Lawrence labeled the book as a "splendid overview of current knowledge about parasites" and praised the extensive Notes, Literature Cited, and Index sections.[9] The newsletter editor for the American Society of Parasitologists, Scott Lyell Gardner, congratulated the book for bringing the field of parasitology into the public view, saying that how Zimmer "presents parasites in the “ugh” and “oooh” mode, in addition to trying to show how parasitologists actually ply our trade" helps to provide interest into the subject.[10] BlueSci writer Harriet Allison summed up the book as one where Zimmer "manages to weave just enough easily understandable science into each chapter in order to create an engrossing and squirm-inducing story that will have you hooked until the end".[11] Kirkus Reviews stated its acclaim for the "vivid detail" given to the lifestyles of parasites, calling the book an "eye-opening perspective on biology, ecology, and medicine" and "well worth reading".[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ Zimmer, Carl (March 29, 2011). "Parasite Rex Redux: Now with a new epilogue". Discover. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  2. ^
    S2CID 83273296
    .(subscription required)
  3. ^ .(subscription required)
  4. .
  5. ^ a b Padian, Kevin (October 22, 2000). "Here's Your Host". The New York Times. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  6. ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures". Publishers Weekly. September 2000. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  7. ISSN 0363-0277
    .(subscription required)
  8. . Retrieved March 1, 2016.(subscription required)
  9. .
  10. ^ Gardner SL (January 2001). "The Book Nook: Parasite Rex : Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures". Newsletter of the American Society of Parasitologists. 23 (1): 13. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  11. ^ Allison, Harriet (November 14, 2011). "Review: Parasite Rex (Carl Zimmer)". BlueSci. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  12. ^ "Kirkus Review: Parasite Rex". Kirkus Reviews. May 20, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2016.

External links