“enjoyable and informative reading… the original artwork and the enthusiastic prose produce an unusually refreshing scientific narrative.”
Bentley Fane, Professor, University of Arizona
Image Gallery
A sample of the more than 100 images that augment the text.
Upper Row: (Left) Lancelot’s (HK97’s) chain mail capsid courtesy of Gabriel Lander. (Center) E. coli besieged by Lander (T4) courtesy of John Wertz. (Right) A Positivist (SPP1) virion courtesy of Rudi Lurz. Lower Row:(Left) Cross-section through Shy’s ( φ6’s) virion depicted by Leah Pantéa. (Right) Hydrodynamic model of DNA ejection during infection depicted by Leah Pantéa.
Click HERE to download a book sampler (PDF format)
Phage Thoughts by Chapter
Chapter 1. Entering the World of Phage
in which we meet the 21 pheatured phages who star in the chapters that follow.
Chapter 2. Survival on Arrival
in which phage chromosomes, having entered their host cell, outwit the patrolling cellular defenses.
Chapter 3. Production Management
in which the phages take over their host cell and redirect its activities toward making more phages.
Chapter 4. Architecture 101
in which the newly-minted phage proteins and chromosomes assemble themselves into progeny virions.
Chapter 5. Escape!
in which the progeny virions escape from the cell that had supported their production.
Chapter 6. The Quest
in which lucky drifting virions collide with a potential host cell and locate their receptor on its surface.
Chapter 7. Special Delivery
in which virions deliver their chromosome into a new host cell – the first step in launching an infection.
Chapter 8. Coalition
in which temperate phages reside for extended periods within their host cell for mutual benefit.
Thinking Like a Phage
by Merry Youle
310 pages, 103 illustrations
Publisher: Wholon (May 1, 2017)
Thinking Like a Phage 