Panic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science
by: Richard Preston
List Price: $26.00
Prices subject to change.
Price: $17.16
You Save: $8.84 (34%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Product Description:
Bizarre illnesses and plagues that kill people in the most unspeakable ways. Obsessive and inspired efforts by scientists to solve mysteries and save lives. From The Hot Zone to The Demon in the Freezer and beyond, Richard Preston’s bestselling works have mesmerized readers everywhere by showing them strange worlds of nature they never dreamed of.
Panic in Level 4 is a grand tour through the eerie and unforgettable universe of Richard Preston, filled with incredible characters and mysteries that refuse to leave one’s mind. Here are dramatic true stories from this acclaimed and award-winning author, including:
• The phenomenon of “self-cannibals,” who suffer from a rare genetic condition caused by one wrong letter in their DNA that forces them to compulsively chew their own flesh–and why everyone may have a touch of this disease.
• The search for the unknown host of Ebola virus, an organism hidden somewhere in African rain forests, where the disease finds its way into the human species, causing outbreaks of unparalleled horror.
• The brilliant Russian brothers–“one mathematician divided between two bodies”–who built a supercomputer in their apartment from mail-order parts in an attempt to find hidden order in the number pi (π).
In fascinating, intimate, and exhilarating detail, Richard Preston portrays the frightening forces and constructive discoveries that are currently roiling and reordering our world, once again proving himself a master of the nonfiction narrative and, as noted in The Washington Post, “a science writer with an uncommon gift for turning complex biology into riveting page-turners.”
Bizarre illnesses and plagues that kill people in the most unspeakable ways. Obsessive and inspired efforts by scientists to solve mysteries and save lives. From The Hot Zone to The Demon in the Freezer and beyond, Richard Preston’s bestselling works have mesmerized readers everywhere by showing them strange worlds of nature they never dreamed of.
Panic in Level 4 is a grand tour through the eerie and unforgettable universe of Richard Preston, filled with incredible characters and mysteries that refuse to leave one’s mind. Here are dramatic true stories from this acclaimed and award-winning author, including:
• The phenomenon of “self-cannibals,” who suffer from a rare genetic condition caused by one wrong letter in their DNA that forces them to compulsively chew their own flesh–and why everyone may have a touch of this disease.
• The search for the unknown host of Ebola virus, an organism hidden somewhere in African rain forests, where the disease finds its way into the human species, causing outbreaks of unparalleled horror.
• The brilliant Russian brothers–“one mathematician divided between two bodies”–who built a supercomputer in their apartment from mail-order parts in an attempt to find hidden order in the number pi (π).
In fascinating, intimate, and exhilarating detail, Richard Preston portrays the frightening forces and constructive discoveries that are currently roiling and reordering our world, once again proving himself a master of the nonfiction narrative and, as noted in The Washington Post, “a science writer with an uncommon gift for turning complex biology into riveting page-turners.”
Alternate Versions:
Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category:
- Books » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » New & Used Textbooks » Medicine & Health Sciences » Medicine » Clinical » Emergency Medicine
- Books » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » New & Used Textbooks » Medicine & Health Sciences » General AAS
- Books » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » New & Used Textbooks » Science & Mathematics » General AAS
- Books » Specialty Stores » Custom Stores » New & Used Textbooks » General AAS
- Books » Subjects » Medicine » Specialties » Emergency Medicine
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Not up to Preston's standard
Having read Demon in the Freezer several years ago, I had high hopes for this book, but was hugely disappointed. The chapters are unrelated and, as a result, the book has the sense of a glued-together group of short articles Preston had cluttering his file cabinet.
By the way, why on earth should anyone but an obsessive mathematician care that Pi has been calculated to over 2 billion digits? Preston makes no attempt to tell us.
Rating: 
- Good Stories
Very well written stories.I agree that the title of the book is misleading.The title deserves about a 1 star, it just isn't accurate at all.But the stories are interesting and if you like his work (like the Hot Zone) you will like this.I believe the 6 stories are all previously published New Yorker stories.
Rating: 
- Not disappointed at all...
I was not disappointed at all after reading the book, infact I found it pretty interesting and thought provoking.It is about a few seemingly random things, but if you read a lot of his books and actually pay attention to the details in the book, most of it does tie together.Definitely worth reading.
Rating: - Interesting, and Sometimes Terrifying!
Preston begins by taking a "tour" into the Level 4 labs at the Army Research Institute for Infectious Diseases.Readers learn both of the incredibly dangers posed by some of the diseases being researched there, and the precautions taken to prevent their infecting anyone.
The first chapter tells the rather frustrating story of two Russian mathematics PhDs who built their own supercomputer for $70,000 in one of their N.Y.C. apartments.They are determined to calculate pi to a detail ... Read More
Rating: - Wasn't fond of it
The Hot Zone' was an exceptional book and so 'Panic in Level 4' sounded very promising at first. The book is a collection of writings Mr. Preston did over a period of a few years. Only a couple of them refer to the terrible viral outbreaks, such as the African Ebola. I wasn't to fond of reading about the self-cannibalization disorder, it seemed to depressing. I recommend 'Demon In The Freezer', much more engaging read.
- Not up to Preston's standardHaving read Demon in the Freezer several years ago, I had high hopes for this book, but was hugely disappointed. The chapters are unrelated and, as a result, the book has the sense of a glued-together group of short articles Preston had cluttering his file cabinet.
By the way, why on earth should anyone but an obsessive mathematician care that Pi has been calculated to over 2 billion digits? Preston makes no attempt to tell us.
- Good StoriesVery well written stories.I agree that the title of the book is misleading.The title deserves about a 1 star, it just isn't accurate at all.But the stories are interesting and if you like his work (like the Hot Zone) you will like this.I believe the 6 stories are all previously published New Yorker stories.
- Not disappointed at all...I was not disappointed at all after reading the book, infact I found it pretty interesting and thought provoking.It is about a few seemingly random things, but if you read a lot of his books and actually pay attention to the details in the book, most of it does tie together.Definitely worth reading.
- Interesting, and Sometimes Terrifying!Preston begins by taking a "tour" into the Level 4 labs at the Army Research Institute for Infectious Diseases.Readers learn both of the incredibly dangers posed by some of the diseases being researched there, and the precautions taken to prevent their infecting anyone.
The first chapter tells the rather frustrating story of two Russian mathematics PhDs who built their own supercomputer for $70,000 in one of their N.Y.C. apartments.They are determined to calculate pi to a detail ... Read More
- Wasn't fond of itThe Hot Zone' was an exceptional book and so 'Panic in Level 4' sounded very promising at first. The book is a collection of writings Mr. Preston did over a period of a few years. Only a couple of them refer to the terrible viral outbreaks, such as the African Ebola. I wasn't to fond of reading about the self-cannibalization disorder, it seemed to depressing. I recommend 'Demon In The Freezer', much more engaging read.
