Description
Noted Kurzgesagt writer Philipp Dettmer tackles a timely topic, the immune system, in this book. Examining this area, labeled as difficult and “unintuitive,” he indefatigably uses analogies and metaphors to make this essential human chemical defense network comprehensible.
Both the innate and adaptive immune systems are described, along with antibodies, viruses, complement, allergies, cancers, and so many other molecular aspects of this war between invaders and defenders. The strikingly colored illustrations attempt to summarize the key points in each chapter, while the robotic characterizations that anthropomorphize the actions of the invaders, rebels, and innate infantry serve to familiarize the reader with the intentions of the combatants.
Despite the folksy storytelling, the subject matter is still complex, with too many interactions and battles simultaneously occurring. It would help to have an included glossary of terms for reader reinforcement or a listing of the exotic language at the end of each chapter. This sci-fi depiction of the immune system’s vagaries serves as a novel introduction to an arcane subject, but it would help if this flamboyant illustrator would continue to transpose the story into a graphic text and if the YouTube innovator could animate these molecular figures into a visual film. l
