THE VIRUS IN US

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THE VIRUS IN US
Engine of evolution

They are not killers: viruses. These ingenious survival artists, as old as life itself, have played a decisive role in evolution, including that of humans. Around 50 per cent of our genetic material comes from viruses. They help shape the immune system, give us a long-term memory and make themselves useful in our digestive tract. But they can become dangerous if we humans change the natural habitats of animals and destroy biodiversity. In his new book, bestselling author Kurt Langbein and Elisabeth Tschachler tell the meticulously researched story of the coronavirus pandemic: when and where exactly did it really begin? How did countries like South Korea get through the crisis without a lockdown? And what can we learn from all this - also for the future? At the same time, the book is a real science thriller, because the latest findings from relatively new virus research are breathtaking: Was the virus possibly at the beginning of all life? Why can virus-rich food be healthy? The tiny protein particles in which the genetic information is packaged are much more than a threat, but the indispensable architects of all life.

Kurt Langbein, sociologist, bestselling author (including „Bittere Pillen“, „Radieschen von oben“, „Weissbuch Heilung“), multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker („Landraub“, „Wunder Heilung“, „Anders essen - das Experiment“) and controversial science journalist is a successful producer and director of numerous documentaries and TV reports. Twice awarded the „Golden Romy“, he has also received the Axel Corti Prize and the Dr Karl Renner Journalism Prize for his life's work.

Elisabeth Tschachler, freelance journalist, editor and translator, editor-in-chief of a health policy magazine, has written several successful non-fiction books (including „Wa(h)re Schönheit“ and „Gesundheit - Eine Frage des Geschlechts“) and has created numerous TV documentaries.

Moderation Robert Misik, Author and Journalist

Kurt Langbein, Elisabeth Tschachler: The virus within us. The motor of evolution
€ 24.00, ISBN 978-3-222-15063-0, Molden Verlag September 2020