Saltar al contenido principal
Pathogenesis

Pathogenesis

How Germs Made History

Jonathan Kennedy

A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK 'Powerfully argued... Fascinating and pacy' Sunday Times, Book of the Week 'Superbly written... sure to please readers of Yuval Noah Harari or Rutger Bregman' The Times 'Full of amazing facts' Observer In this revelatory book, Dr Jonathan Kennedy argues that germs have shaped humanity at every stage, from the first success of Homo sapiens over t...

Publisher:
Corgi
Year of publication:
2024
ISBN:
978-1-80499-189-3
Pages:
384
13,75 €
IVA included
No stock. Please check price
Inquire
Añadir a favoritos

Synopsis

A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK

'Powerfully argued... Fascinating and pacy' Sunday Times, Book of the Week
'Superbly written... sure to please readers of Yuval Noah Harari or Rutger Bregman' The Times
'Full of amazing facts' Observer

In this revelatory book, Dr Jonathan Kennedy argues that germs have shaped humanity at every stage, from the first success of Homo sapiens over the equally intelligent Neanderthals to the fall of Rome and the rise of Islam.

How did an Indonesian volcano help cause the Black Death, setting Europe on the road to capitalism? How could 168 men extract the largest ransom in history from an opposing army of eighty thousand? And why did the Industrial Revolution lead to the birth of the modern welfare state?

The latest science reveals that infectious diseases are not just something that happens to us, but a fundamental part of who we are. Indeed, the only reason humans don't lay eggs is that a virus long ago inserted itself into our DNA, and there are as many bacteria in your body as there are human cells. We have been thinking about the survival of the fittest all wrong: evolution is not simply about human strength and intelligence, but about how we live and thrive in a world dominated by microbes.

By exploring the startling intimacy of our relationship with infectious diseases, Kennedy shows how they have been responsible for some of the seismic revolutions of the past 50,000 years. Provocative and brimming with insight, Pathogenesis transforms our understanding of the human story.

Challenges some of the greatest cliches about colonialism... A revelation' SATHNAM SANGHERA
'Thrilling and eye-opening' LEWIS DARTNELL
'Science and history at its best' MARK HONIGSBAUM
'Unpicks everything we thought we knew... Mind blowing' CAL FLYN

A TIMES SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023
A SUNDAY TIMES SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

Related Articles

Verity Guild

Verity Guild

Mai Corland

She's a priestess with a dangerous secret. He's a praetorian with a grudge. When their paths become inextricably linked, they must find a way to survive the deadliest game of all. . . ??PRE-ORDER this sizzling enemies-to-lovers fantasy, guaranteed to keep you under its spell. ?? Forbidden magic, a twisted mystery and deadly court conspiracies are all wrapped up in this dark f...

Low stock

25,00 €

The Convenience Store By The Sea Volume 2

The Convenience Store By The Sea Volume 2

Sonoko Machida

Welcome to Tenderness. Our doors are always open. Having a bad day? Visit the Tenderness convenience store in Mojiko, Kitakyushu. A sweet treat to lift your spirits. A quiet place to talk over a warm meal. A kind word when you need it most. The sound of the sea in the distance. You'll always find more than you imagined possible here... Returning to the bestselling series...

Low stock

13,74 €

The Caretaker

The Caretaker

Marcus Kliewer

Follow the Rites... Nothing less than the survival of humanity is at stake. From Marcus Kliewer, a new 'titan of the macabre and unsettling' (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), comes a supernatural horror about a young woman who accepts a caretaking job from Craigslist, only to discover the position has consequences far greater--and more dangerous--than she...

Low stock

23,74 €

Fruit Fly

Fruit Fly

Josh Silver

'Fruit Fly is savage and darkly hilarious. A pointed satire of publishing with flawed, fascinating characters.' Juno Dawson 'This is an incredible book ... tough and raw and merciless but funny and kind at the same time.' Russell T. Davies, writer of It's a Sin Anyone can write a bestseller. Here's how. GO GAY It's been seven years since Mallory shot to fame as a literary sensa...

Low stock

18,74 €

Audition

Audition

Katie Kitamura

**LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026** **SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2025** A GUARDIAN, INDEPENDENT and NEW STATESMAN Book of the Year 'Slick, sharp, strange and singular . . . You'll gulp this novel down in one in-breath' SAMANTHA HARVEY, Booker Prize-winning author of Orbital 'A lightning bolt of a novel' FINANCIAL TIMES 'I'm not sure there's anyone be...

Low stock

12,49 €

Playing Possum

Playing Possum

Susana Monsó

How animals conceive of death and dying—and what it can teach us about our own relationships with mortalityWhen the opossum feels threatened, she becomes paralyzed. Her body temperature plummets, her breathing and heart rates drop to a minimum, and her glands simulate the smell of a putrefying corpse. Playing Possum explores what the opossum and other creatures can teach us abo...

Available

18,73 €