VIRUSES, NATURAL SELECTION AND PANDEMICS

Abstract

This work is a review of the book “Como os vírus e as pandemias evoluem” by the authors José Lopes and Pirula published in 2020. Viruses are self-replicating particles whose sole purpose is multiplication itself. The evolutionary success of viruses depends on their interactions with the environment and its hosts. Natural selection is the driving force that selects mutations that contribute to the increase in the reproductive success of virions. Moderately close contact between species might create a favorable environment for that an easily mutable virus to jump from host to host. Human advancement over native areas and the use of unknown biodiversity for food can be a dangerous path, being able to lead us to future epidemics and pandemics. To avoid this scenario, it will be necessary to intensify efforts to map the biodiversity of life and understand its ecological interactions.