Unraveled Wednesday: 5/29/24

I'm happy to join Kat and the Unravelers today with a completed pair of socks.

I had to pat myself on the back for completing a Christmas gift seven months early. I don't think I've ever managed that before!

I've picked up my Hitch on the Move again. I've started on Body Pattern II but have quite a while to go. I'm going to just keep plugging away. 

I finished two books this week, and they were both four stars for me. The Living Medicine by Lina Zeldovich. It is a captivating (possibly only to me and a few others) exploration of the world of bacteriophages, what they are, how they have been used, and possible uses for human health in the future. The author, a science journalist with the capacity for explaining scientific ideas so they can be understood by a general audience, takes readers on a journey through the fascinating realm of bacteriophages, shedding light on how they may very well rescue us.

Bacteriophages, often referred to simply as phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacteria. Discovered in the early 20th century, bacteriophages have been recognized as important players in various ecosystems, particularly in the context of human health and disease. Phages typically consist of a protein coat surrounding their genetic material, which can be either DNA or RNA. They come in various shapes and sizes, ranging from simple structures to more complex ones. Phages are abundant in natural environments, including soil, water, and the human body. They play a crucial role in regulating bacterial populations and shaping microbial communities. They are key players in horizontal gene transfer among bacteria, influencing bacterial evolution and diversity.

They have been used to target and kill specific pathogenic bacteria that cause infections, including cholera and dysentery, beginning in 1919. Phages can be selected or engineered to specifically target particular bacterial strains while leaving beneficial bacteria unharmed. This targeted approach is particularly valuable in the era of antibiotic resistance when traditional antibiotics may be ineffective against certain bacterial infections. They have also proved useful in treating chronic infections by methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) which is notoriously resistant to antibiotics and they may serve as possible treatments in the future for chronic conditions.

Much of the bacteriophage research was done at the George Eliava Institute in Soviet Georgia, but it was largely destroyed in 1991 in the Georgian Civil War. Scientists worked to save whatever phage cultures they could and about 50 people still work at the Institute on phage production. There is still much research that needs to be done into specificity, resistance, immunogenicity, safety, and regulatory hurdles, but Zeldovich's book serves to remind us that bacteriophages helped in the past and may have even more uses in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on October 22, 2024.

Deer Season by Erin Flanagan is a book that I borrowed from the library as kind of an extra, just in case I finished everything else I was reading and found myself without a book. I intended to listen for just a few minutes but found that I was quickly pulled into the story and wanted to see what happened next. Deer don't play a big part in this debut novel, but rather it's a story about Nebraska farm life in a small town, the people that live and work on those farms, and a missing teenage girl named Peggy. Flanagan tells us the story from multiple points of view, including Alma, a forthright farm wife who wanted a child more than anything but has had five miscarriages; Milo, Peggy's younger brother trying to find his way through adolescence and a terrible situation, and Hal, a developmentally delayed young man who is a suspect in Peggy's disappearance. There is small-town drama about some large issues, but no gratuitously overdramatized writing. The mystery is balanced with well-developed, emotionally rich characters. It's a calm and forthright tale about people that I cared about, and I look forward to reading Erin Flanagan's other novels. 

What are you making and reading this week?