★ A compelling work by Dr. Shi Jun, winner of the "China Wenjin Book Award" ( one of China's most prestigious national book awards), narrating the "love-hate relationship" between viruses and humans. With vivid and engaging prose, the author traces how viruses have driven human evolution from an evolutionary perspective, alongside the history of humanity's struggle against viruses, helping us understand the long-standing coexistence of humans and viruses.
★ Scientifically explains the origin and evolution of viruses, redefining the relationship between viruses and humans. Viruses bring us disease and death, but they also bring life and civilization. Viruses are humanity's deadliest enemy, yet also our invaluable ally. Approximately 8% of human genes originate from viruses, many of which are crucial. Without the placental virus synthesizing syncytin, human fetuses would not survive.
★ A popular science book on viruses that everyone can easily understand, helping us fully grasp the truth about viruses and face pandemics without panic.
★ English translation samples available.

How did the ever-present viruses emerge? What role have viruses played in the evolution of life on Earth? Should humanity aim to eradicate viruses or coexist with them?
This book introduces the origin and evolution of viruses, the profound impact viruses have had on biological evolution and the development of human civilization, and the arduous journey of humanity's struggle against viruses. With vivid and engaging prose, the author narrates, from an evolutionary perspective, the "love-hate relationship" between viruses and Earth's life forms over hundreds of millions of years. On one hand, viruses, as cold-blooded killers created by nature, bring us disease and death. On the other hand, as vectors for horizontal gene transfer, viruses have played an immeasurable role in the evolution of life, even driving human evolution. Viruses are humanity's deadliest enemy, yet also our most valuable ally. For humanity to survive, we must learn to coexist with viruses in the long term.

Shi Jun
Winner of the China Wenjin Book Award, he holds a Ph.D. in Biology and is an Associate Professor at Anhui Science and Technology University.
He has long been dedicated to popular science writing in the fields of evolutionary theory and sociobiology, adept at presenting rigorous scientific knowledge in an accessible and humorous style.
His published popular science works include "Ghost Stories are All Lies," "Evolution Unraveled," "The Crazy History of Human Evolution," and "A Brief History of Love," all of which have been widely praised by readers.
Among them, "Evolution Unraveled" won the 16th China Wenjin Book Award and was shortlisted for "2020 Chinese Book of the Year".

Introduction: The Hidden War
Chapter 1 The Origin of Viruses
Decoding Viral Structure
The Mystery of Giant Viruses
The Hidden Queen of Spades
Starting from Scratch
The Escape Hypothesis
Chapter 2 Driven by Viruses
The Origin of the Nucleus
The Game of Big vs. Small
The Meaning of Multicellularity
The Myth of Sexual Reproduction
The Red Queen's Dilemma
Gene Mixing
Transforming Life
Chapter 3 Filtered by Viruses
From Forest to Grassland
The Power of Long-Distance Running
Population Bottlenecks
Group Differentiation
The Gains and Losses of Using Fire
Chapter 4 Humanity's Predicament
The Side Effects of Hunting
The Agricultural Crisis
Long-Distance Movement
Large-Scale Warfare
Chapter 5 Humanity's Counterattack
Simple Vaccines
Basic Antibodies
The Paradox of Interferon
Cocktail Therapy
The Cytokine Storm
Chapter 6 The Looming Crisis
Phantoms in the Water
Jungle Killers
The Dark Side of Human Nature
Power and Responsibility
Conclusion The Value of Viruses