Science and Inquiry discussion

For September 2025, we again have a tie. You can choose to read either book, or both, if you're ambitious. :)

This thread is for The Good Virus: The Amazing Story and Forgotten Promise of the Phage by Tom Ireland.

Please use this thread to post questions, comments, and reviews, at any time.

I read The Good Virus about 2 years ago and I can see from re-reading my review that I learned a lot from this. I think it's a helpful review so I'm posting it here in case anyone wants a good summary of the book. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I still have the book and may read some sections again as September rolls along.

On the ebook wait list at my library. Shouldn't be much longer.

I just got my audiobook copy today!

So, I thought this was an informative science book for a layperson target audience. But even working in medicine, there were things I learned from this — like the fact that bacteriophages (phages) could be more useful than antibiotics during our rising antibiotic resistance crisis!

I actually learned more about how the politics and the anti-communist stance of the West affected this branch of science, relegating phages (and likely much more) to the former USSR nations. Similarly, and even more interesting for me as someone who also sits on my hospital's research ethics board, were the implications of these politics for how we might need to rethink our regulatory bodies and how they're set up if we’re to introduce phages (or something else) to ever beat the antibiotic resistance developing in medicine.

J. wrote: "So, I thought this was an informative science book for a layperson target audience. But even working in medicine, there were things I learned from this — like the fact that bacteriophages (phages) ..."

I had the same reactions. It makes me wonder how much more advanced our research could be if it we had been sharing information with the USSR instead of fighting. Of course I feel that way about outer space travel and tech as well. So many lost years for all kinds of political reasons.

Glad you liked the book.

I just started this and I'm enjoying it. Learning lots. Like the fact that the mega-polluted Ganges River can cure (or prevent) cholera. Also, the author has a wry sense of humor. I loved his precis of Twort's 1915 article:

"In other words: this strange stuff I grew could be a virus. But we can't say for sure, because we don't really know what viruses are. And now I've run out of money."

Jessica wrote: "J. wrote: "So, I thought this was an informative science book for a layperson target audience. But even working in medicine, there were things I learned from this — like the fact that bacteriophage..."

Yes! The costs of global politics really worry me, since we could be so much more advanced in our medicine and tech if the West and the USSR had been sharing rather than fighting.

It makes me wonder what we'll learn was kept from developing because of today's global fights... Guess we'll just have to wait for a book in 30-40 years to fill us in.

Starting it today!

I don't subscribe to Nature, just to Nature Briefing, which gives teases about articles. So I can't read this full article. But it looks like bacteriophages are getting some big help from AI.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d4158...

Interesting that phages are not even hinted at in this CBS story about the rise of "nightmare" bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nightmar...

Betsy wrote: "I don't subscribe to Nature, just to Nature Briefing, which gives teases about articles. So I can't read this full article. But it looks like bacteriophages are getting some big help from AI.

http..."

I couldn't read the whole article either but I'm glad to see this is being worked on. Thanks for sharing.

And as far as CBS news is concerned, my bet is that they've never even heard of the phage!

I have learned a lot! I had no idea whatsoever that phages were important and so numerous.

I finished this book and really enjoyed it. Here is my review.

In addition to the constraints of international politics, I was interested in the fact that phages are not available for general use because they're not profitable for the drug companies to develop. It's just another reason why I believe the U.S. health system will continue to fail as long as it's primarily profit driven.

Betsy wrote: "I finished this book and really enjoyed it. Here is my review.

In addition to the constraints of international politics, I was interested in the fact that phages are not available for general use..."

I was just having a conversation with my mom about how outdated the traditional medical system is and how unwilling it is to change. It's definitely about money in more ways than one. A doctor who gives an opinion outside established medical standards opens themselves up to a lawsuit, at least in the US.