Air-borne: the hidden history of the life we breathe
(Book)
Description
"Every day we draw in two thousand gallons of air—and thousands of living things. From the ground to the stratosphere, the air teems with invisible life. This last great biological frontier remains so mysterious that it took over two years for scientists to finally agree that the COVID pandemic was caused by an airborne virus. In Air-Borne, award-winning New York Times columnist and author Carl Zimmer leads us on an odyssey through the living atmosphere and through the history of its discovery. We travel to the tops of mountain glaciers, where Louis Pasteur caught germs from the air, and follow Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh above the clouds, where they conducted groundbreaking experiments. We meet the long-forgotten pioneers of aerobiology including William and Mildred Wells, who tried for decades to warn the world about airborne infections, only to die in obscurity. Air-Borne chronicles the dark side of aerobiology with gripping accounts of how the United States and the Soviet Union clandestinely built arsenals of airborne biological weapons designed to spread anthrax, smallpox, and an array of other pathogens. Air-Borne also leaves readers looking at the world with new eyes—as a place where the oceans and forests loft trillions of cells into the air, where microbes eat clouds, and where life soars thousands of miles on the wind. Weaving together gripping history with the latest reporting on COVID and other threats to global health, Air-Borne surprises us on every page as it reveals the hidden world of the air"--
Copies
More Details
Notes
Reviews from GoodReads
Citations
Zimmer, C. (2025). Air-borne: the hidden history of the life we breathe. Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Zimmer, Carl, 1966-. 2025. Air-borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe. Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Zimmer, Carl, 1966-, Air-borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe. Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2025.
MLA Citation (style guide)Zimmer, Carl. Air-borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe. Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2025.
Staff View
Record Information
| Last Sierra Extract Time | Apr 02, 2025 10:38:53 AM |
|---|---|
| Last File Modification Time | Apr 02, 2025 10:39:00 AM |
| Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Apr 02, 2025 10:38:58 AM |
MARC Record
| LEADER | 03991cam a2200445 i 4500 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | 23994309 | ||
| 005 | 20250116110142.0 | ||
| 008 | 250116s2025 nyu g b 001 0 eng d | ||
| 010 | |a 2024051573 | ||
| 020 | |a 9780593473597 |q (hardcover) | ||
| 040 | |a DLC |b eng |e rda |c DLC |d DLC |d NB |d nw |d EL | ||
| 050 | 0 | 0 | |a RA642.A5 |b Z56 2025 |
| 082 | 0 | 0 | |a 614.4/4 |2 23/eng/20250116 |
| 100 | 1 | |a Zimmer, Carl, |d 1966- |e author. | |
| 245 | 1 | 0 | |a Air-borne : |b the hidden history of the life we breathe / |c Carl Zimmer. |
| 264 | 1 | |a New York, NY : |b Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, |c 2025. | |
| 300 | |a xxv, 469 pages ; |c 24 cm | ||
| 336 | |a text |b txt |2 rdacontent | ||
| 337 | |a unmediated |b n |2 rdamedia | ||
| 338 | |a volume |b nc |2 rdacarrier | ||
| 504 | |a Includes bibliographical references (pages 417-456) and index. | ||
| 520 | |a "Every day we draw in two thousand gallons of air—and thousands of living things. From the ground to the stratosphere, the air teems with invisible life. This last great biological frontier remains so mysterious that it took over two years for scientists to finally agree that the COVID pandemic was caused by an airborne virus. In Air-Borne, award-winning New York Times columnist and author Carl Zimmer leads us on an odyssey through the living atmosphere and through the history of its discovery. We travel to the tops of mountain glaciers, where Louis Pasteur caught germs from the air, and follow Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh above the clouds, where they conducted groundbreaking experiments. We meet the long-forgotten pioneers of aerobiology including William and Mildred Wells, who tried for decades to warn the world about airborne infections, only to die in obscurity. Air-Borne chronicles the dark side of aerobiology with gripping accounts of how the United States and the Soviet Union clandestinely built arsenals of airborne biological weapons designed to spread anthrax, smallpox, and an array of other pathogens. Air-Borne also leaves readers looking at the world with new eyes—as a place where the oceans and forests loft trillions of cells into the air, where microbes eat clouds, and where life soars thousands of miles on the wind. Weaving together gripping history with the latest reporting on COVID and other threats to global health, Air-Borne surprises us on every page as it reveals the hidden world of the air"-- |c Provided by publisher. | ||
| 650 | 0 | |a Airborne infection |v Popular works. | |
| 650 | 0 | |a Airborne infection |x History |v Popular works. | |
| 650 | 0 | |a Air |x Microbiology |x History |v Popular works. | |
| 907 | |a .b27816710 | ||
| 945 | |y .i70571934 |i 21203900135 |l nwbn |s - |h |u 1 |x 0 |w 1 |v 1 |t 137 |z 01-14-25 |r - |o - |a 579.17 ZIM | ||
| 945 | |y .i70617673 |i 22801709464 |l ehbn |s - |h |u 0 |x 0 |w 0 |v 0 |t 2 |z 01-29-25 |r - |o - |a 579.17 ZIM | ||
| 945 | |y .i70691368 |i 21802831996 |l wdbn5 |s - |h 04-19-25 |u 1 |x 0 |w 1 |v 0 |t 2 |z 02-24-25 |r - |o - |a 579.17/ZIM | ||
| 945 | |y .i70693419 |i 3 1278 00325 0995 |l nbann |s - |h 04-14-25 |u 1 |x 0 |w 1 |v 2 |t 0 |z 02-24-25 |r - |o - |a New 614.4 Zimmer | ||
| 945 | |y .i70700230 |i 31251004416709 |l wmann |s - |h 04-15-25 |u 1 |x 0 |w 1 |v 0 |t 162 |z 02-25-25 |r - |o - |a NEW 614.44 ZIMMER | ||
| 945 | |y .i70705902 |i 20503974808 |l gubn |s - |h 04-22-25 |u 2 |x 0 |w 2 |v 0 |t 2 |z 02-26-25 |r - |o - |a 614.4 ZIMMER | ||
| 945 | |y .i70705914 |i 20503974741 |l gubn |s - |h 04-22-25 |u 3 |x 0 |w 3 |v 0 |t 2 |z 02-26-25 |r - |o - |a 614.4 ZIMMER | ||
| 945 | |y .i70705926 |i 20503974709 |l gubn |s - |h |u 2 |x 0 |w 2 |v 0 |t 2 |z 02-26-25 |r - |o - |a 614.4 ZIMMER | ||
| 945 | |y .i7070918x |i 33520001600236 |l osan |s - |h |u 0 |x 0 |w 0 |v 0 |t 2 |z 02-27-25 |r - |o - |a NEW 614.4 ZIMMER | ||
| 945 | |y .i70710338 |i 31200500523708 |l hmbn |s - |h 04-14-25 |u 1 |x 0 |w 1 |v 1 |t 2 |z 02-27-25 |r - |o - |a 579.17/ZIM | ||
| 945 | |y .i70718295 |i 22301024463 |l stbn |s - |h 04-18-25 |u 1 |x 0 |w 1 |v 0 |t 2 |z 03-03-25 |r - |o - |a 614.4 ZIM | ||
| 945 | |y .i70790346 |i 20603875939 |l elbn |s - |h |u 0 |x 0 |w 0 |v 0 |t 2 |z 03-24-25 |r - |o - |a 614.44 Zimmer | ||
| 945 | |y .i70820922 |i 21708125063 |l wabn |s r |h |u 0 |x 0 |w 0 |v 0 |t 2 |z 04-02-25 |r - |o - |a 614.44 ZIMMER | ||
| 998 | |e - |d a |f eng |a eh |a el |a gu |a hm |a nb |a nw |a os |a st |a wa |a wm |a wd | ||