David Quammen, author of Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic, talked on Wednesday in the Atrium about the many hours of research that.

The Q&A session was conducted via Skype; Quammen began by summarizing his book, then answered prepared and spontaneous questions which were read by Biology teacher Kate Schafer.

According the Quammen, Spillover is about “emerging diseases, and where they emerge from and why, [and the] ecology and evolution of scary viruses.” His research traced the story of zoonotic diseases, diseases which originate from animals, ranging from fruit bats to horses and chimpanzees.

He also covered the transmission of the diseases from animals to humans, and vice versa, and eventually condensed all his research into a book of “science, travel, history, and storytelling”. He explained that these diseases and viruses “spillover” from non-human hosts into the human population.

“I [thought] it was very enlightening,” said Leeza Kuo (11). “I watched the TEDx talk, [but] the fact that we actually heard him speak [and] interacted with him [made it] more personal.”

Once humans are infected by these diseases, the diseases can spread rapidly throughout the world. One disease called severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), he explained, originated in Southern China and spread to Hong Kong (an international hub). One man living in a hotel in Hong Kong was infected and then spread the virus to others living in the floors above and below him; those who were then infected got on airplanes and flew to various countries, and consequently spread the disease in a matter of only a couple hours.

Quammen also wrote about 100 pages on the spread of the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) pandemic by pulling together scientific work that he researched and read about, as well as through his travels.

Lauri Vaughan, one of the Upper School Campus Librarian, requested for Quammen to speak, and she admired the information he had to share.

“I loved it, I’ve read everything [he’s] written,” she said. “He’s educated himself about scientists in quite an impressive manner for someone who never got a science degree, [and] I think he’s got more to come.”

Some students who plan to enter the science field in the future thought that the talk had great insight into the subject.

David Quammen is preparing to start a new book project and is also working on work for National Geographic after returning from the Russian Arctic.