Welcome to a Very Short Introduction soapbox. A short talk lasting 15 minutes from an expert in the field. The talk is free and takes place in the Blackwell book tent.

Dorothy Crawford demonstrates how tiny parasites are by far the most abundant life forms on the planet. With up to two billion of them in each litre of sea water, viruses play a vital role in controlling the marine environment and are essential to the ocean’s delicate ecosystem, says the emeritus professor of medical microbiology at the University of Edinburgh.

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