The Good Virus

"Most viruses do no harm to humans - and, as this fascinating book explains, a large class of them might even prove our saviours ... [Phages] regulate our gut microbiome, are crucial to marine ecosystems, and inspired the modern Crispr technique of gene-editing ... All this and more is thrillingly recounted in Tom Ireland's superb book. This is real luxury-class science writing, exploring how a ""Stalin-tainted"" idea from long ago can be rehabilitated, alternating scientist interviews and vivid case studies of miraculous-seeming cures with historical narrative and limpid biotechnological explanations ... He also demonstrates excellent comic timing. -- Steven Poole * Telegraph * Outstanding. The Good Virus is a fascinating, original and timely work. -- Clive Myrie This engaging book highlights the brighter side of the viral world ... a delight. To learn more about phages is to discover fascinating details about a hidden world ... Ireland offers riveting accounts ... The Good Virus is timely ... It's an exciting time for a field that has, for too long, been unfairly overlooked. * Nature * Tom Ireland's compelling and original book makes a strong case for revisiting phage therapy ... richly detailed and absorbing, and well balanced between the biological details and the personalities and scientific politics involved ... The Good Virus is original, eye-opening and grippingly told. * New Scientist * A new scientific frontier that couldn't be more fascinating or vital. Phages are critical to our health, and the health of the whole planet. Brilliantly written and profound, this book is ahead of the curve and deserves to become a classic. -- Daniel M. Davis, author of The Beautiful Cure and The Secret Body Absolutely smashing. It's really beautifully written, it's a really, really fascinating account. * BBC 5 Live Science podcast * This thrilling book will amaze you. Viruses have been attacking bacteria since the dawn of time, but in the last century some scientists have been able to enlist them in the fight against bacterial infections. Tom Ireland's limpid writing tells the exciting story of the past and future of ""phage therapy"", balanced by a sober exploration of the problems involved in turning the good viruses into treatments. Highly recommended. -- Professor Matthew Cobb Fascinating * Today programme, BBC Radio 4 * It is rare to find such a rich seam of science that is so pertinent to modern health concerns yet feels so under recognised. Everybody knows about good bacteria but I doubt they have heard of good viruses (I hadn't). Environmental pollution and antibiotic resistance are two of the world's biggest problems and to think the solution to those may have been with us all along is both fascinating and exciting to learn. This book is full of gems of information and hope for the future. I thoroughly enjoyed it. -- Suzanne O'Sullivan Incredible and thought provoking. Phages are the superheroes of the human biome. A truly enlightening read that makes you realise what we really don't yet know. -- Professor Dame Sue Black A masterful blend of jaw-dropping science and absorbing storytelling shows that we live on a planet run by super-abundant, sub-microscopic biological entities. Besides revealing a fundamental aspect of how life on Earth really works, this book reminds us of the missed opportunities we simply cannot afford to miss again. It is both incredibly well researched and very timely. -- George McGavin A fascinating and absorbing guide to this abundant but rarely studied life form, the book takes us through the discovery of bacteriophages, their use in laboratory research and highlights their increasingly likely future as a weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. -- Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert"