Monsters, Mutants & Missing Links

Anne Simon is a world-renowned biologist and expert on plant viruses. She has also been scientific advisor to the X-Files since the series began. In this fascinating book she explores the extraordinary realities that lie behind the strange discoveries made in each episode by agents Mulder and Scully, weird and threatening life forms, mutations and alien creatures. Despite the achievements of modern science and technology, she points out, it is estimated that less than 1 per cent of our fellow living creatures have yet been identified. Unknown plants, animals and microbes still inhabit our planet, and new and astonishing discoveries are made every year - like the giant interconnected fungus Amilaria Ostoyae, which spans an area of 2. 5 miles and is thus the largest organism on earth, found recently in the state of Washington. Dr Simon goes on to discuss such hot scientific topics as cloning, genetic engineering, hybrid organisms and genetics, cancer and ageing, cyrogenics, killer viruses and much else - and throughout she refers constantly to the X-Files episodes relevant to her subject, and gives the inside story of how the story-line was developed.

Préface
The scientific advisor to the series explains the real science behind it

Auteur

Anne Simon

Texte du rabat

Anne Simon is an internationally known expert on viruses. Following the showing of the first episode of The X-Files she quickly became hooked on the series, whose creator - Chris Carter - was a family friend. Soon she was giving informed advice on the scientific questions the programme raised. In this fascinating book she explores the extraordinary realities which lie behind the strange events and phenomena which confront agents Mulder and Scully in the series, including weird and threatening forms of life, mutations and alien creatures.

Despite the achievements of modern science and technology, it is estimated that less than 1 per cent of our fellow living creatures have yet been identified. Vast numbers of unknown plants, animals and microbes still inhabit our planet, and new and astonishing discoveries are made every year - like the giant interconnected fungus Amilaria ostoyae, which spans an area of 2½ miles and is thus the largest organism on earth, found recently in the state of Washington. She goes on to discuss such hot scientific topics as cloning, cancer and ageing, genetic engineering, hybrid organism and genetics, cryogentics, killer viruses and much else.

Throughout, Dr Simon refers constantly to the X-Files episodes relevant to her subject, and gives the inside story of how the story-line was developed. For anyone who follows the series this book will be required reading, but it is also a brilliant survey along the frontiers of real science today.