Bakterie, viry a dějiny - Jak patogeny ovlivňují minulost i přítomnost – Kennedy Johnathan (2025)

Viruses and bacteria have inhabited our planet almost since its inception. The Earth formed about four billion years ago, and if we imagine this time as one year, then microorganisms appeared sometime in the spring, while we humans emerged roughly half an hour before midnight on New Year's Eve. Microorganisms have also significantly influenced the evolution of the human species, and it is not an exaggeration to say that we live in beneficial symbiosis with them. However, many of these invisible forms of life can also harm us. Some view the history of humanity as stories of exceptional individuals, while others find it more significant to track the development of society as a whole and are interested in the fates of nameless 'ordinary' people. This book offers a perspective on history even more 'from below,' from the viewpoint of bacteria and viruses that cause deadly diseases. How do the histories of humanity appear shaped by trillions of invisible microorganisms? How have pathogens influenced our relationship with Neanderthals? What did the settlement of Europe look like according to findings from prehistoric DNA research? To what extent did epidemics contribute to the end of ancient civilizations and the spread of Christianity and Islam? What changes did the medieval plague epidemics bring? Are epidemics related to the Reformation of the Catholic Church or the rise of...