Who needs sex and rivalry and conspiracy theories when the star of the show
is the phantom fishkiller—Pfiesteria piscicida? The weird life and habits
of this microscopic monster, recounted in And the Waters Turned to Blood by
Rodney Barker (Simon & Schuster, $24, ISBN 0 684 83126 0), are so
peculiar and exciting and dangerous that they don’t need embellishing with
snippets from the life and loves of the scientists who discovered it. When will
American journalists (or is it their publishers?) recognise that science like
this can be as exciting as any thriller, without the trashy trappings? By the
end, I had more sympathy for the homicidal dinoflagellate than the human heroes
and heroines . . .
More from Â鶹´«Ã½
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending Â鶹´«Ã½ articles
1
Exclusive report: Inside Chernobyl, 40 years after nuclear disaster
2
How autoimmune conditions can unexpectedly drive mental illness
3
Neanderthal infants were enormous compared with modern humans
4
Collapse of key ocean current may release billions of tonnes of carbon
5
How to spot the Lyrid meteor shower tonight
6
The man who crawls into the perilous heart of the Chernobyl reactor
7
The biggest threat to Chernobyl is no longer radiation
8
Are Neanderthals descendants of modern humans?
9
From autism to migraines, birth order may have wide-reaching effects
10
A key solution to climate change isn't happening – and that's good
