Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator Paperback – 7 July 2020

I usually read for information and this book is a goldmine of stories through history with the mosquitoes setting the guidelines and limits to empirical expansion. Could not put this super well researched and written book down. Loved the anecdotes and connectionsdrawn by the author to world events throughout history.

Un excelente libro sobre el papel que jugó y juega el mosquito en la historia de la humanidad.No es un libro de ciencia que trate sobre los descubrimientos epidemiológicos más recientes. Es un libro de historia.Recomendado para los amantes de la historia y de nuevas perspectivas.

An excellent book detailing the history of the mosquito form the age of the dinosaur to the present day. The author takes you on a historical journey and you learn that the dinosaurs may have been weakened to the point of near extinction by the mosquito, and the asteroid impact may have been the coup de grace that sealed their fate. You will discover that the mosquito was essentially engaged in every major combat on the planet, from the earliest civilizations in Mesopotamia to the 300 Spartans, the Indian Wars, the revolutionary war, the Civil War, the first world war and the second world war, the building of the Panama Canal. Youll read about the Malarial parasite and how deadly it is and how it transforms itself to survive. How mosquitoes spread viruses around the world. This is truly a fascinating book. I do believe that it is time to eradicate the mosquito species involved in the transmission of Malaria and other dangerous viruses. This has already been accomplished by a company that has created genetically modified mosquitos that mate with a female and her offspring either dies or produces only males. So it can be done, but the environmental impact needs to be studied some more. It's also interesting that mosquitos have served as a barrier for humans and other mammals to enter certain areas. An example would be the Amazon rain forest. As humans clear cut this area, Mosquitos will attack and what new diseases will force us to move away from these areas?A very good book and well worth the long read.

Übertrifft jeden Horrorfilm, und dabei ist es so real wie die Mücke auf der Haut!

Style is a bit journalistic and use of language a bit too clever for my taste, but the book is thoroughly researched and well constructed. It is estimated that 52 billion of the 108 billion humans who have ever lived died from mosquito-borne diseases The bulk of the book is a sweeping survey of the impact that this had on human history (and evolution). It will make you see familiar events in a fresh light!