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Survival of the sickest : a medical maverick discovers why we need disease / Sharon Moalem ; with Jonathan Prince

Author
Moalem, Sharon
Published
New York : William Morrow, [2007]
Copyright Date
©2007
Edition
1st ed.
Physical Description
xvi, 267 pages ; 24 cm
Additional Creators
Prince, Jonathan

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Contents
Introduction -- ch. 1 Ironing it out -- ch. 2. A spoonful of sugar helps the temperature go down -- ch. 3. The cholesterol also rises -- ch. 4. Hey, Bud, can you do me a fava? -- ch. 5. Of microbes and men -- ch. 6. Jump into the gene pool -- ch. 7. Methyl madness : road to the final phenotype -- ch. 8. That's life : why you and your iPod must die -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Index.
Summary
Invites readers to change their perceptions about illness in order to understand disease as an essential component of the evolutionary process, citing the role of such malaises as diabetes, STDs, and the Avian Bird Flu in protecting the survival of the human race.
Was diabetes evolutionʼs response to the last Ice Age? Did a deadly genetic disease help our ancestors survive the bubonic plagues of Europe? Will a visit to the tanning salon help lower your cholesterol? Why do we age? Why are some people immune to HIV? Can your genes be turned on- or off? 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, from plants and animals to insects and bacteria. 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. When the option is a long life with a disease or a short one without it, evolution opts for disease almost every time. Everything from the climate our ancestors lived in to the crops they planted and ate to their beverage of choice can be seen in our genetic inheritance. But Survival of the Sickest doesnʼt 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.
Survival of the Sickest is filled with fascinating insights and cutting-edge research, presented in a way that is both accessible and utterly absorbing. This is a book about the interconnectedness of all life on earth-and, especially, what that means for us. Also includes information on African Americans, aging, anemia, cancer, climate change, DNA, epigenetics, evolution, fava beans, favism, Guinea worm, hemochromatosis, immune system, iron, jumping genes, Jean Baptiste Lamarck, Latinos, malaria, maternal effect, methylation, mutations, Native Americans, pregnancy, sunlight, viruses, Younger Dryas, etc.
Subject(s)
ISBN
9780060889654
0060889659
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages [211]-253) and index.
Source of Acquisition
Wilkes-Barre copy: Purchased with funds from the Paterno Libraries Endowment; 20089.
Endowment Note
Paterno Libraries Endowment (Campus College Libraries)
View MARC record | catkey: 3657330