French Translation of « A Planet of Viruses »

Very few authors are able to write a gripping and easy-to-read science book. Carl Zimmer is one of them. In his latest book, « A Planet of Viruses », the American novelist tells the story of viruses. From the smallpox scars of ancient pharaohs to the discovery of giant viruses, Carl Zimmer recounts the common history of viruses and mankind. In a mere hundred pages, he offers a fascinating insight into the world of viruses and makes us think about what we know, and what we don’t know: when it comes to viruses, we still have almost everything lot learn! Brutal, scary and mysterious, virus can also be our allies: They kill dangerous bacteria, produce oxygen and even allowed our distant ancestors to develop a placenta. Actually, they are even more than allies: After millions of years of gene-swapping between our cells and viruses, we have accumulated virus genes in our own genome. Genetically speaking, we are part human, part virus.

Big Bang Science has had the great privilege of translating “A Planet of Viruses”: We did our best to transpose Carl Zimmer's particular style: Clear, striking and short sentences. We hope you enjoy the book as much as we did :)

« Planète de virus », Les Editions Belin, March 11, 2016, By Carl Zimmer