The Premonition: A Pandemic Story

looks interesting

The Premonition is the extraordinary story of a group who anticipated, traced and hunted the coronavirus; who understood the need to think differently, to learn from history, to question everything; and to do all of this fast, in order to act, to save lives, communities, society itself.

For those who could read between the lines, the censored news out of China was terrifying. But the president insisted there was nothing to worry about.

Fortunately, we are still a nation of skeptics. Fortunately, there are those among us who study pandemics and are willing to look unflinchingly at worst-case scenarios. Michael Lewis’s taut and brilliant nonfiction thriller pits a band of medical visionaries against the wall of ignorance that was the official response of the Trump administration to the outbreak of COVID-19.

The characters you will meet in these pages are as fascinating as they are unexpected.

A thirteen-year-old girl’s science project on transmission of an airborne pathogen develops into a very grown-up model of disease control.
A local public-health officer uses her worm’s-eye view to see what the CDC misses, and reveals great truths about American society.
A secret team of dissenting doctors, nicknamed the Wolverines, has everything necessary to fight the pandemic: brilliant backgrounds, world-class labs, prior experience with the pandemic scares of bird flu and swine flu…everything, that is, except official permission to implement their work.

Michael Lewis is not shy about calling these people heroes for their refusal to follow directives that they know to be based on misinformation and bad science. Even the internet, as crucial as it is to their exchange of ideas, poses a risk to them. They never know for sure who else might be listening in.

In a New York Times interview in January 2021, Lewis described the book, which he was then still working on, as “a superhero story where the superheroes seem to lose the war”

 

There were a few books like that around in the last 5-10 years - mainly because it was inevitable that there would be a pandemic in the near future due to human encroachment into extensive virgin forest regions.

My concern is that this isn't the "real" pandemic we have to be worried about. Covid is simply a "feather" shot across the bows to see how humans reaction to our destruction of the natural environment and, if we fail the test, then watch out for the "brick" version ... and if we don't take heed from that, here comes the "Mack truck"

 

... this is one that I fear jumping the "to human" barrier. Currently in deepest darkest rainforest, that humans seem intent on clearing

The Fungus That Turns Ants Into Zombies

"
One particular genus of Cordyceps favors the carpenter ants. The fungus shamelessly possesses the ant’s body. But it doesn’t go for the quick kill. It needs the insect alive to provide the fungus with a means of transportation.

First, the parasite sits quietly inside its host, slowly chewing on the ant’s non-vital organs. But this is just a warm-up. The poor insect doesn’t know what’s coming. Until one day, its internal GPS turns on, even though the ant didn’t know it had one. The Cordyceps has released chemicals into the ant’s brain, and taken control of its body.

Now, guided by the parasite, the ant finds itself on the underside of a leaf. But not just any leaf. The fungus’ preferred spot for reproduction is about 25 cm (10 inches) off the ground and always pointing north. Hey, we’re all a little picky sometimes, right?

At this point, there’s nothing left for the ant to do: other than sit pretty while the fungus erupts out of its head and spews its spores as widely as possible. These spores then rain down on other ants ... "

 

That's horrible.

 

That gives oxygen to the anti-vaxxers and their 5G chip theory. Phones have turned the group into drones who can't be prised from their technology even when crossing roads.

 

I haven't read Premonition, but I have enjoyed most other books written by Michael Lewis.

I think he was also the author of the Big Short and Moneyball which were the basis for the later movies.

 

Yes - someone weaponize the zombie spores. Quick we need a real life zombie apocalypse.
I have been watching Preppers series on Netflix.
Want to put my new gain knowledge to good use.

 

@Lizzie

Nasty, reminded me of the Zombie Snails who have been hijacked by a parasite that controls their brains and movements. Like the Cordyceps, it's to help the parasites' offspring spread and endure

 

I can now understand where bogans came from

 

Oh, OK. So it needs to be re-titled "Datto's Family Tree."

 

Sigh ... Bird Flu Is Back in the US. No One Knows What Comes Next

 

It would be interesting to see how the idiot 'don't tread on me you can't trust science' crowd react if something more lethal gets out there.

 

The reason this one is going on so long is because we're not learning the lesson

 

How's your climate going? We're all flooded out around the west - nice new roads destroyed. Ducks swimming on major truck routes. Prep for the bushfire season in 3 years?