Richard Preston Libri

Una ragazza di diciassette anni, Kate Moran, si presenta una mattina a scuola leggermente raffreddata. Una semplice seccatura, ma solo in apparenza... Nel giro di pochi minuti la ragazza muore sotto gli occhi di compagni ed insegnanti. Sarà una giovane patologa, Alice Austen, a scoprire che quel "raffreddore" era la prima manifestazione di un terribile virus in grado di annientare l'umanità con un'epidemia peggiore della peste nera. Questa epidemia non è una fatalità del destino, ma il volere di un uomo che conosce e sa manipolare anche i virus più pericolosi...

Chronicles the 2013-2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the global efforts of health professionals to contain the virus, and provides an urgent wake-up call about the future of emerging viruses

The coast redwood trees, Sequoia sempervirens, are the largest and tallest living organisms on Earth, found in the misty, uncharted valleys of Northern California. Despite the devastating loss of ninety-six percent of their ancient forests due to logging, the remaining fragments are breathtaking natural wonders. These magnificent trees can have trunks up to thirty feet wide and soar over thirty-five stories high, creating awe-inspiring, cathedral-like environments in the sky.

The virus kills nine out of ten of its victims. Its effects are so quick and so gruesome that even biohazard experts are terrified. It is airborne, it is extremely contagious, and it is about to burn through the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Is there any way to stop it? This doomsday scenario confronted a biohazard SWAT team struggling in secret to stop the outbreak of an exotic "hot" virus at an Army research facility outside Washington. "The Hot Zone" tells the dramatic story of their dangerous race against time, along with an alarming account of how previously unknown viruses that have lived undetected in the rain forest for eons are now entering human populations. From the airlocked confines of a biosafety level 4 military lab, to an airliner over Kenya carrying a passenger dissolving into a human virus bomb, to a deserted jungle cave alive with deadly virus, THE HOT ZONE is a non-fiction thriller like no other. "The Andromeda Strain" was fiction--- "this is real!"

Relates the story of the eradication of smallpox, and introduces us to some of the most sophisticated scientific minds in America, past and present. On the front lines of the fight to protect the civilian population against biological weapons is virologist Peter Jahrling. He is leading a team of scientists in controversial--and successful--experiments with live smallpox, reawakening the virus at the CDC, and seeking to find a cure for the disease. The moving story of his trials and triumphs, set against the backjdrop of the virus's history, frame Preston cutting analysis of the future of our nations biodefense

A Honolulu, Hawaii, in the office of a small local lawyer, silence prevails, disrupted only by the presence of three lifeless bodies on the floor. There are no signs of struggle, just tiny, deep, lethal cuts on the victims. The only clue at the crime scene is a nearly invisible robot equipped with razor-sharp blades. The police are at a loss. Unbeknownst to them, Nanigen Micro-Technologies, a company specializing in medical microtechnology, operates a secret base in the Hawaiian forest, testing equipment previously unknown to the scientific community. They are conducting a revolutionary operation, funded through hidden sources, aimed at studying the diverse life forms in the underbrush for medicinal purposes. The Nanigen executives are willing to kill anyone who threatens this billion-dollar investment. However, they need to recruit unsuspecting scientists, including a group of Harvard doctoral students led by Peter Jansen, a poison expert, and Karen King, an arachnologist. Once in Hawaii, the seven students find themselves embroiled in a perilous scientific experiment, confronting a surprisingly hostile and unknown environment. The forest is fraught with traps, and every branch and root conceals deadly threats, leaving the researchers to rely solely on their knowledge of the plant and animal kingdoms for survival.

Schwarze Löcher verschlucken ganze Galaxien, Supernovae verdampfen in einer ungeheuren Kernexplosion, Kometen rasen durch die Weite des Alls und treffen Planeten - Stoff genug für eine packende Story. Bestsellerautor Richard Preston (Hot Zone) hat die Magier des Universums, die Astronomen, Nacht für Nacht an ihren Teleskopen belauscht. Entstanden ist ein fesselnder Insiderbericht über eine verschworene Priesterschaft, der es nur um eines geht: Erkenntnis.

Niezwykła książka z pogranicza dokumentu i publicystyki – zbiór zręcznie beletryzowanych historii będących rozwinięciami artykułów, publikowanych przez autora w „New Yorkerze”. „Panika na poziomie 4” zabiera czytelnika w zapierającą dech w piersi wyprawę do odrębnych mikrokosmosów, do których zwykły człowiek nie ma na co dzień dostępu. Niepoznane, obce, budzące niepokój zjawiska – Preston podróżuje po bezdrożach nauki, bez ustanku balansując na jej krawędzi. Zagląda w okular mikroskopu, pod którym leży próbka ze śmiercionośnym wirusem Ebola, staje oko w oko z autokanibalami – ludźmi ogarniętymi obsesją odgryzania części własnego ciała i poprzez matematyczne równania usiłuje odkryć tajemnicę białego jednorożca, ukrytego na spodniej stronie tapiserii z nowojorskiego muzeum sztuki. Z niezwykłą pasją, żywym publicystycznym językiem zdaje relację z własnych, często przedziwnych doświadczeń, wciągając czytelnika do swojego niesamowitego świata. „Panika na poziomie 4” to tekst, w którym naukowe informacje stapiają się w jedno z emocjonalnymi doznaniami, a fascynacja sekretami rzeczywistości owocuje zachwytem i czystym przerażeniem.