We invade tropical forests and pristine landscapes, which host many species of animals and plants, in the organisms of which unknown viruses reside. We cut down trees. We kill animals or put them in cages and sell them. We destroy ecosystems and remove viruses from their natural hosts. When this happens, a new host is needed. Often, the new host is us. The list of such viruses that appear in humans resembles a gloomy drumbeat: Machupo, Bolivia, 1961; Marburg, Germany, 1967; Ebola, Zaire and Sudan, 1976; HIV, initially in New York and California, 1981; a form of hantavirus (now known as Sin Nombre), southwestern United States, 1993; Hendra, Australia, 1994; bird flu, Hong Kong, 1997; Nipah, Malaysia, 1998; West Nile virus, New York, 1999; SARS, China, 2002-2003; MERS, Saudi Arabia, 2012; Ebola again, West Africa, 2014. And many others. 

The new coronavirus (nCoV-2019) is the latest drumbeat so far. What awaits us? Perhaps an even worse deadly pandemic than Covid-19? Spillover is exactly this process: the passage, the leap, of a virus (or bacterium or other microorganism) from animals to humans. Which animal will infect us in the future? A rodent from southern China? A monkey from West Africa? A bat from Malaysia? In the age of globalization and communication, infectious agents travel easily and quickly - just like us. What we need to realize, says Quammen, is that pandemics, like Covid-19, are not due to our misfortune; they do not happen to us - they are a consequence of overpopulation and our way of life. A masterpiece of scientific reporting, a stunning and prophetic book, an artistic real-life thriller". Elizabeth Kolbert For five years, Quammen traveled with scientists to the most remote parts of the world: from Bangladesh to the forests of Congo and from a rat farm in China to Connecticut, he spoke with researchers who strive to uncover the mysteries of nature and the relationships between humans and animals.

Recording what researchers told him inside and outside high-security laboratories, Quammen composed a multifaceted book with alternating scenes and protagonists, humans and animals, small and large, wild and domesticated. "D. Quammen is not only one of the best scientists, but also one of our best writers. He analyzes with patience and captivates the reader with his observations. His black humor is wonderful." New York Times "David Quammen belongs to that rare breed of journalists who analyze scientific issues not only with conscientiousness, but also with narrative and synthetic talent." Nature "A book that you can't put down [...] an adventurous narrative from the front line of pandemic prevention.".