Body By Darwin

This exploration of cutting-edge evolutionary medicine and how our body’s performance is shaped by its past “covers fascinating territory” (Publishers Weekly). We think of medical science and doctors as focused on treating conditions—whether it’s a cough or an aching back. But the sicknesses and complaints that cause us to seek medical attention actually have deeper origins than the superficial germs and behaviors we regularly fault. In fact, as Jeremy Taylor shows in Body by Darwin, we can trace the roots of many medical conditions through our evolutionary history, revealing what has made us susceptible to certain illnesses and ailments over time and how we can use that knowledge to help treat or prevent problems in the future. In Body by Darwin, Taylor examines the evolutionary origins of some of our most common and serious health issues. To begin, he looks at the hygiene hypothesis, which argues that our obsession with anti-bacterial cleanliness, particularly at a young age, may be making us more vulnerable to autoimmune and allergic diseases. He also discusses diseases of the eye, the medical consequences of bipedalism as they relate to all those aches and pains in our backs and knees, the rise of Alzheimer’s disease, and how cancers become so malignant that they kill us despite the toxic chemotherapy we throw at them. Taylor explains why it helps to think about heart disease in relation to the demands of an ever-growing, dense, muscular pump that requires increasing amounts of nutrients, and he discusses how walking upright and giving birth to ever larger babies led to a problematic compromise in the design of the female spine and pelvis. Throughout, he not only explores the impact of evolution on human form and function, but integrates science with stories from actual patients and doctors, closely examining the implications for our health. “Seven vivid true stories dramatically describing patients and their doctors discovering evolutionary explanations for diseases. More than just the perfect book club book, it advances the field of evolutionary medicine.” —Randolph M. Nesse, coauthor of Why We Get Sick

We think of medical science and doctors as focused on treating conditions—whether it’s a cough or an aching back. But the sicknesses and complaints that cause us to seek medical attention actually have deeper origins than the superficial germs and behaviors we regularly fault. In fact, as Jeremy Taylor shows in Body by Darwin, we can trace the roots of many medical conditions through our evolutionary history, revealing what has made us susceptible to certain illnesses and ailments over time and how we can use that knowledge to help us treat or prevent problems in the future. In Body by Darwin, Taylor examines the evolutionary origins of some of our most common and serious health issues. To begin, he looks at the hygiene hypothesis, which argues that our obsession with anti-bacterial cleanliness, particularly at a young age, may be making us more vulnerable to autoimmune and allergic diseases. He also discusses diseases of the eye, the medical consequences of bipedalism as they relate to all those aches and pains in our backs and knees, the rise of Alzheimer’s disease, and how cancers become so malignant that they kill us despite the toxic chemotherapy we throw at them. Taylor explains why it helps to think about heart disease in relation to the demands of an ever-growing, dense, muscular pump that requires increasing amounts of nutrients, and he discusses how walking upright and giving birth to ever larger babies led to a problematic compromise in the design of the female spine and pelvis. Throughout, he not only explores the impact of evolution on human form and function, but he integrates science with stories from actual patients and doctors, closely examining the implications for our health. As Taylor shows, evolutionary medicine allows us think about the human body and its adaptations in a completely new and productive way. By exploring how our body’s performance is shaped by its past, Body by Darwin draws powerful connections between our ancient human history and the future of potential medical advances that can harness this knowledge.

A landmark book of popular science that gives us a lucid and engaging account of how the human body evolved over millions of years—with charts and line drawings throughout. “Fascinating.... A readable introduction to the whole field and great on the making of our physicality.”—Nature In this book, Daniel E. Lieberman illuminates the major transformations that contributed to key adaptations to the body: the rise of bipedalism; the shift to a non-fruit-based diet; the advent of hunting and gathering; and how cultural changes like the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions have impacted us physically. He shows how the increasing disparity between the jumble of adaptations in our Stone Age bodies and advancements in the modern world is occasioning a paradox: greater longevity but increased chronic disease. And finally—provocatively—he advocates the use of evolutionary information to help nudge, push, and sometimes even compel us to create a more salubrious environment and pursue better lifestyles.

The human body is an incredible thing. This Human Body Activity Book for Kids Ages 4-8 is entertaining activity book that's all about Human Body! Kids will jump right in to help the doctor match the organs to their functions and do puzzles mazes, coloring and more. What a great way to learn fun facts about simple Human Body and human anatomy!From game and more, this activity book on the human body for kids is bursting with all kinds of play that gets young learners interested in know about the human body. Featuring tons of cool facts and game, this exploration of the human body for kids will help them develop a lifelong love of science and get a head start on schooling. Teach children the joy of learning by doing―with a collection of activities all about the human body for kids through Human Body Activity Book for Kids Ages 4-8.

The human body is an incredible thing. This Human Body Coloring Book for Kids: My First Human Body Parts and human anatomy coloring book for kids is entertaining activity book that's all about Human Body! It's easy to learn about your body! This cool coloring book includes 20+ drawings that explore body part, lungs, brain, heart and more. You can read how to your organs works, your senses, and more. This human body coloring for kids will help them develop a lifelong love of science and get a head start on schooling. What a great way to learn fun facts about simple Human Body and human anatomy! Teach children the joy of learning by doing―with a collection of coloring all about the human body for kids through Human Body Coloring Book for Kids.

The Body is a multidisciplinary collection of essays from a number of world-renowned experts on the topic of the body arising from the 14th annual Darwin College lecture series. It deals with our understanding of the modern body from a number of different standpoints. The opening essays deal with topics of developmental biology of the body, the human genome project, and in vitro fertilisation and the possibility of human clones. Other essays explore the subject of bodies and the criminal mind, dead bodies and human rights, science and the politics of incarnation, bodies at the boundaries of pornography and art and the body in archeology.

From yoga to neuroscience, a tour of major ideas about the body and mind. Body psychotherapy, which examines the relationship of bodily and physical experiences to emotional and psychological experiences, seems at first glance to be a relatively new area and on the cutting edge of psychotherapeutic theory and practice. It is, but the major concepts of body/mind treatment are actually drawn from a wide range of historical material, material that spans centuries and continents. Here, in a massively comprehensive book, Michael Heller summarizes all the major concepts, thinkers, and movements whose work has led to the creation of the field we now know as body/mind psychotherapy. The book covers everything from Eastern and Western thought—beginning with yoga and Taosim and moving to Plato and Descartes. It also discusses major developments in biology—how organisms are defined—and neuroscience. This is truly a comprehensive reference for anyone interested in the origins of the idea that the mind and body are not separate and that both must be understood together in order to understand people and their behavior.