Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures @ richardeward.com

Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures
by Carl Zimmer
from Free Press

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Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0

• 4.5 Stars for Raising Questions I Felt Better Once Having Remained Ignorant About, But Am Glad That Changed
  I read the 2001 paperback of the 2000 book. It is very well written, which can't be said about all books on the topic. It is clear, at times funny, macabre, eye-opening, repulsive due to topic, fascinating and thought provoking.
  Parasites outnumber other forms of life 4:1, are much more ubiquitous than commonly thought, have been essential for evolution and have directly influenced human DNA. (Not even considering mitochondria getting integrated in most forms of life.) Parasites make it necessary to... more info

• Great science writing, but fewer case histories would suffice
  "Parasite Rex" is great science writing. For readers familiar with evolutionary and ecological theories, they will meet these theories in a new guise. For readers not familiar, Zimmer has a talent for explaining complex ideas in a very simple fashion. In only one case did I detect a minor oversimplification: there is more to generating novel antibodies than shuffling genes. My only complaint about style is that Zimmer sometimes tries to make the reader horrified at what parasite does to prey, and when the... more info

• I love this book
  I bought this book quite a long time ago and forgot to review it until now...I am a parasitologist and this is one of my favorites. Zimmer is funny and engaging and scientifically accurate--I HAVE GOT TO READ THIS AGAIN SOON.

• Awesome book changes your outlook
  Another excellently-written work from Carl Zimmer. This book will give you a bad case of the creepy-crawlies in parts. It will also completely change your outlook on the nature of life, because you will learn that parasites are not really the gross, "devolved" hangers-on that most think of them as, but rather a vibrant, important part of the web of life...
  ... that is sometimes really disgusting.
  Still, an outstanding book, one that give parasitology a much-improved face. Written in Zimmer's usual... more info

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