Bacteria, viruses and history
E-book, Czech
Bacteria, viruses and history
Viruses and bacteria have inhabited our planet almost from the very beginning. The Earth was formed around four billion years ago, and if we imagine this time as a single year, microorganisms appeared sometime in the spring, while we humans showed up about half an hour before midnight on New Year's Eve. Microorganisms also had a profound impact on the evolution of the human species, and it is no exaggeration to say that we live in a beneficial symbiosis with them. However, many of these invisible life forms can also harm us. Some view human history as the stories of exceptional individuals, while others consider it more important to follow the development of society as a whole, taking an interest in the fates of nameless "ordinary" people. This book offers a view of history from an even more "bottom-up" perspective – that of the bacteria and viruses that cause deadly diseases. So, what does human history look like when shaped by trillions of invisible microorganisms?
How did pathogens influence our relationship with Neanderthals? What was the settlement of Europe like, according to research on prehistoric DNA? To what extent did epidemics contribute to the end of ancient civilisations and the spread of Christianity and Islam? What did the medieval plague epidemics change? Are epidemics in any way related to the Reformation of the Catholic Church or the rise of capitalism? How did pathogens contribute to European colonial expansion? Was slavery in America a consequence of the actions of microorganisms? Which infectious diseases did the Industrial Revolution bring? Is poverty in developing countries a result of unresolved problems with infectious diseases?
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