The Rules of Contagion cover art

The Rules of Contagion

Why Things Spread - and Why They Stop

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for £5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Rules of Contagion

By: Adam Kucharski
Narrated by: Joe Jameson
Try Standard free

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £17.94

Buy Now for £17.94

About this listen

Why do some ideas take off - and others fail to spread? Why are some diseases predictable and others swamped in uncertainty? And what about the outbreaks that never happen at all?

We live in a world that's more connected than ever before. But even as we see our lives being shaped by the spread of ideas, trends - and even diseases - we sometimes struggle to grasp how it actually works. Outbreaks seem to be driven by randomness and hidden laws, and in order to understand them, we need to start thinking like mathematicians.

Here, epidemiologist Adam Kucharski reveals how new mathematical approaches are transforming what we know about contagion - from the revolutionary initiatives that helped tackle gun violence in Chicago to the truth behind the spread of fake news. And along the way, he'll explain how innovations and emotions can spread through our friendship networks, what STDs can tell us about banking and why some outbreak predictions go badly wrong.

©2020 Adam Kucharski (P)2020 Hachette Audio UK Biological Sciences Mathematics Physics Science
All stars
Most relevant
Talk about perfect timing this book from Feb 2020 is one of the best books out there to understand covid and other viral phenomena like gang violence, social media post and political interference. must read to understand the viral effects all around us.

Brilliant book explaining the maths of contagion

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very well written and read book charting a history of how we got here with study of contagion and it’s applications outside of disease. A great way to understand better some of the science now in every day use with COVID-19.

Very accessible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Listened at a time when Corona Virus has become a global pandemic, the lessons are vital mostly at this time and the knowledge in dealing with every other form of Contagion including the Social media.
Awesome work and yes I will listen again to fully grasp and internalise the most vital information from the book.
Second listen done! I will be back.

ABSOLUTELY TIMELY AND WORTHY

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I read this book in April 2020, 3 weeks into the UK’s lockdown. While fellow professionals of Kucharski might find fault (that’s what they do), I found this book not just revealing but almost prophetic. For epidemiologist there’s little to learn I would imagine but for a regular Joe Bloggs, this book was accessible, explaining in an accessible way without being patronising. It’s also me me angry that such knowledge exists but that governments all over the world, have fallen short in their preparations.

I’m so glad

I’ll definitely listen to it again.

The only thing missing is the word COVID19

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well researched and excellently connecting the various subject areas where 'contagion' occurs, that parallel infectious disease outbreaks and the value of statistical data modelling.

A book where a hard copy would also be beneficial to refer back to.

Timely reading/listening

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews