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Survival of the Sickest: The Surprising Connections Between Disease and Longevity (P.S.)
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 616.042
EAN: 9780060889661
ISBN: 0060889667
Label: Harper Perennial
Languages: EnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishUnknownEnglishPublished
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: March 01, 2008
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Release Date: March 18, 2008
Studio: Harper Perennial
Features:- ISBN13: 9780060889661
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Editorial Review: Joining the ranks of modern myth busters, Dr. Sharon Moalem turns our current understanding of illness on its head and challenges us to fundamentally change the way we think about our bodies, our health, and our relationship to just about every other living thing on earth. Through a fresh and engaging examination of our evolutionary history, Dr. Moalem reveals how many of the conditions that are diseases today actually gave our ancestors a leg up in the survival sweepstakes. But Survival of the Sickest doesn't stop there. It goes on to demonstrate just how little modern medicine really understands about human health, and offers a new way of thinking that can help all of us live longer, healthier lives.
Dan Ariely on Survival of the Sickest
MIT professor Dan Ariely has become one of the leaders in the growing field of behavioral economics, and his bestselling book debut, Predictably Irrational, has brought his ideas--and his ingenious experiments and charming sense of humor--to a much wider audience. With the simplest of tests (often an auction or a quiz given under a few conditions) he shows again and again not only that we are wired to make irrational decisions in many situations, but that we do so in remarkably predictable ways.  I have always been puzzled by the way in which genetic diseases have managed to survive throughout the ages. How could it be that these diseases were able to withstand the evolutionary process, where only the most fit survive, and continue to be transferred from one generation to the next? Survival of the Sickest provides a thought provoking yet entertaining explanation to this puzzle. In this insightful book Dr. Sharon Moalem demonstrates how conditions that are considered unhealthy (such as hemochromatosis, diabetes, and high cholesterol), or even deadly in extreme cases, might actually put their carriers at an advantage in combating other life-threatening illnesses. For example, he explains that hemochromatosis, a disease that, if left untreated, will kill you, may have actually been a defense against the deadliest pandemic in history--the bubonic plague during the 14th century. It turns out that this genetic mutation, which continues to be passed down through generations, actually helped spare many lives at one point. Throughout the book, Dr. Moalem draws many connections between seemingly disparate subjects, such as the accidental invention of ice wine and cold diuresis, in order to illustrate the basic mechanisms of genetics and medicine in charming and intuitive ways. He skillfully interweaves his knowledge of history, genetics, and medicine not only as they relate to specific medical conditions but also in a way that addresses important challenges of modern society and our future evolution. In the most general terms, Dr. Moalem's description of the human body and its complexity left me in awe of how far we have come in our understanding of biology and medicine, while also being reminded that the road to understanding ourselves is still wide open with much more to learn in the decades, and even centuries, to come. It is a fantastic journey on which he leads us and Dr. Moalem is a kind, knowledgeable, humorous, and helpful guide.
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Rating:  -
My Opinion of Survival of the Sickest: Author: Dr. Sharon Moalem: By Carlos Topher
This book is very interesting, it is about diseases, history and the creation of life. It also explains how what we think of as sickness may have benefited our ancestors, leading us to things we can do about it. From the past to now, our genetics have been affected by diseases and the environment. This book explains some of these factors have affected our genetic history.
The Moalem ... Read More
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No need for a ponderous analysis of Sharon Moalem's Survival of the Sickest: it's a blast to read, and it's a great update of what is going on in genetics/epigenetics. Written in an engaging style and using technical jargon sparingly, Dr. Moalem's book is the quickest and most enjoyable refresher course on the market regarding what's new with what is known about your chromosomes, and why it's urgently important for you to know about it.
Using a series of fascinating medical stories, ... Read More
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An interesting collection of scientific data presented in an understandable and entertaining format. Promotes new thought and causes one to re-examine traditional beliefs around sickness and disease.
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I bought this book and read it very quickly. I was looking for a book that I could assign as an extra credit read for my high school biology students. This book was perfect. It is scientific nonfiction, but it is not written at such a high level that a high school student would have difficulty with it. It contains for very enlightening information--viruses that affect our behavior to aid in thier spread, diabetics and the last ice age, telomeres, the ancient aquatic human hypothesis--I would highly ... Read More
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I attended college 30 years ago. This is a great update on science for me, particularly DNA. Cleverly written.
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