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丕賱亘賯丕亍 賱賱兀卮丿 賲乇囟丕
Read it. You're already living it. Was diabetes evolution's 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 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. 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.' to 'Read it. You're already living it. Was diabetes evolution's 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 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. 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.
278 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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11.3k people want to read
About the author
Sharon Moalem
11听books253听followersSharon Moalem, MD, PhD, is an award-winning physician-scientist and geneticist. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Survival of the Sickest and Inheritance, an Amazon Best Science Book of the Year, among other books. His work brings together evolution, genetics, and medicine to revolutionize how we understand and treat disease, and his clinical research led to the discovery of two new rare genetic conditions, and to his discovery of a first-in-class antibiotic which targets 鈥榮uperbug鈥� infections. His books have been translated into more than 35 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 815 reviews
December 4, 2013
This is a prime example of the problems with science books written for a lay audience. The author regularly presents hypotheses/hunches than he believes as if they're well-supported by science
I picked this book up because it spent time on my field of study, infectious disease. The first chapter was okay, but then it just went downhill from there. The type 1 diabetes chapter that posits that it aids in survival in a cold climate is laughably implausible. Moalem states that "some scientists" believe that type 1 diabetes is autoimmune. One would be hard pressed to find a biologist who does not think that T1D is autoimmune, the evidence is just that strong. T1D occurs in people with certain alleles of the HLA gene. These genes are involved in the immune response; immune-related genes tend to become more diverse quickly, so it's unlikely that these HLA haplotypes are present in modern humans because they improved survival in the cold 12,000 years ago. Also, there is the point that untreated, type 1 diabetes is fatal very quickly. Before Insulin was developed, the only way to keep these patients alive was through an extreme starvation diet.
There are also a lot of sloppy mistakes such as the mix up of virus and bacterium (possibly an editing error?) and the use of the term gene when "allele" is correct -- it's not that hard to explain the difference.
My other main complaint is the reliance on speculative sources rather than sources where someone has done the actual experiments and gotten actual results one way or the other.
I picked this book up because it spent time on my field of study, infectious disease. The first chapter was okay, but then it just went downhill from there. The type 1 diabetes chapter that posits that it aids in survival in a cold climate is laughably implausible. Moalem states that "some scientists" believe that type 1 diabetes is autoimmune. One would be hard pressed to find a biologist who does not think that T1D is autoimmune, the evidence is just that strong. T1D occurs in people with certain alleles of the HLA gene. These genes are involved in the immune response; immune-related genes tend to become more diverse quickly, so it's unlikely that these HLA haplotypes are present in modern humans because they improved survival in the cold 12,000 years ago. Also, there is the point that untreated, type 1 diabetes is fatal very quickly. Before Insulin was developed, the only way to keep these patients alive was through an extreme starvation diet.
There are also a lot of sloppy mistakes such as the mix up of virus and bacterium (possibly an editing error?) and the use of the term gene when "allele" is correct -- it's not that hard to explain the difference.
My other main complaint is the reliance on speculative sources rather than sources where someone has done the actual experiments and gotten actual results one way or the other.
August 10, 2016
It was not a bad book and it was a quick read, but I was a little disappointed for two reasons.
The first, not the authors fault, is that I didn't learn much new -- the general principles and ideas the author was articulating about biology, genetics, and evolution, were not really new to me, although some of his examples were new.
The second was that I thought the author was playing a little too loose with facts. Even though the target audience was a popular audience, I don't think that is an excuse to make points that sound like certainties that are not. An example is his claim about sunglasses affecting the body's ability to protect against sunburn. It sounded plausible, but my own further reading on his claim shows that there is very little evidence to support it (in fact, it was really just speculation). In other cases, the author would go on about a particular hypothesis, and only just throw in at the end that, oh yea, scientists don't really know if this is true.
In short, if you're not familiar with a lot of the latest research in evolution and genetics, the book may be an interesting read for you, just be careful not to give too much credence to any particular hypothesis expressed in the book.
The first, not the authors fault, is that I didn't learn much new -- the general principles and ideas the author was articulating about biology, genetics, and evolution, were not really new to me, although some of his examples were new.
The second was that I thought the author was playing a little too loose with facts. Even though the target audience was a popular audience, I don't think that is an excuse to make points that sound like certainties that are not. An example is his claim about sunglasses affecting the body's ability to protect against sunburn. It sounded plausible, but my own further reading on his claim shows that there is very little evidence to support it (in fact, it was really just speculation). In other cases, the author would go on about a particular hypothesis, and only just throw in at the end that, oh yea, scientists don't really know if this is true.
In short, if you're not familiar with a lot of the latest research in evolution and genetics, the book may be an interesting read for you, just be careful not to give too much credence to any particular hypothesis expressed in the book.
August 16, 2023
賰鬲丕亘 賲爻鬲賮夭!
丕賱賳氐賮 丕賱兀賵賱 賲賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘賷鬲賰賱賲 毓賳 賲噩賲賵毓丞 賲賳 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 (丕賱氐亘丕睾 丕賱丿賲賵賷 Hemochromatosis - 丕賱亘賵賱 丕賱爻賰乇賷 Diabetes mellitus - 丨爻丕爻賷丞 丕賱賮賵賱 Favism) 賵睾賷乇賴丕..
亘賷鬲賳丕賵賱 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 丿賷 賲賳 賲賳馗賵乇 賲禺鬲賱賮貙 賵賴賵 廿賳 亘丕賱賳爻亘丞 賱亘毓囟 丕賱賳丕爻 賰丕賳鬲 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 賲賳丨丞 賲卮 賲丨賳丞貙 賵爻丕毓丿鬲賴賲 廿賳賴賲 賷賳噩賵丕 賲賳 禺胤乇 兀賰亘乇 賰丕賳 亘賷賴丿丿 丕賱亘卮乇 賷賵賲賸丕 賲丕貙 夭賷 丕賱胤丕毓賵賳 賵丕賱毓氐乇 丕賱噩賱賷丿賷 賵丕賱賲賱丕乇賷丕 賵睾賷乇賴賲..
丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賮賷 兀睾賱亘賴 賲毓鬲賲丿 毓賱賶 "賳馗乇賷丕鬲" 賲卮 丨賯丕卅賯 賵賱賷賴丕 廿孬亘丕鬲丕鬲貙 賮 兀賳丕 卮禺氐賷賸丕 賲卮 賴孬賯 賮賷 丕賱賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 丕賱賲匕賰賵乇丞 孬賯丞 賰丕賲賱丞貙 賰賲丕賳 賲賮賷卮 賯丕卅賲丞 賲氐丕丿乇 賵賱丕 賲乇丕噩毓 賮賷 丕賱丌禺乇! 胤亘 丕賱賱賷 毓丕賷夭 賷鬲兀賰丿 兀賵 丨鬲賶 賷賯乇兀 兀賰鬲乇 毓賳 兀賷 賲賵囟賵毓 丕鬲匕賰乇 賮賷 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷毓賲賱 丕賷賴責 賲卮 毓丕乇賮丞.
賰賲丕賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘賷爻鬲賮賷囟 賮賷 卮乇丨 兀噩夭丕亍 賲賱賴丕卮 毓賱丕賯丞 兀賵賷 亘丕賱賱賷 亘賳鬲賰賱賲 毓賳賴貙 賷毓賳賷 賷賮乇丿 禺賲爻 爻鬲 氐賮丨丕鬲 毓賳 丕賱丨賷賵丕賳丕鬲 賲孬賱賸丕 兀賵 丕賱趩賷賵賱賵趩賷丕 兀賵 丕賱賲賳丕禺貙 毓卮丕賳 賷胤賱毓 賲賳賴賲 亘賮賰乇丞 賲鬲毓賱賯丞 亘丕賱賲賵囟賵毓 丕賱兀爻丕爻賷貙 胤亘 賲丕 賰賳鬲 鬲賱禺氐 丕賱賮賰乇丞 丿賷 賮賷 賳氐 氐賮丨丞 賵賱丕 丨丕噩丞! 賰賳鬲 卮丕賷賮丕賴 鬲卮鬲賷鬲 賵乇睾賷 賲賱賵卮 賱丕夭賲丞 亘氐乇丕丨丞.
丕賱賳氐賮 丕賱孬丕賳賷 賲賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲卮 亘賷鬲賰賱賲 毓賳 兀賲乇丕囟 賲丨丿丿丞貙 亘賷鬲賰賱賲 亘卮賰賱 毓丕賲 毓賳 毓賱丕賯丞 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 亘丕賱亘賰鬲賷乇賷丕 賵丕賱冥賷乇賵爻丕鬲貙 賵毓賱賲 丕賱賵乇丕孬丞 賵賲丕 賮賵賯 丕賱賵乇丕孬丞 Epigenetics貙 賵丌賱賷丞 丕賱卮賷禺賵禺丞.
丕賱賮氐賵賱 丿賷 亘丕賱匕丕鬲 賲毓鬲賲丿丞 賰賱賷賸丕 毓賱賶 賳馗乇賷丞 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 賵丕賱丕賳鬲禺丕亘 丕賱胤亘賷毓賷貙 賮胤亘毓賸丕 兀賷 丨丿 毓賳丿賴 兀爻卅賱丞 賵卮賰賵賰 賮賷 賳馗乇賷丞 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 賲卮 賴賷氐丿賯 丕賱賰賱丕賲 亘爻賴賵賱丞貙 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘賷鬲毓丕賲賱 廿賳 賲亘丿兀 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 Evolution 賵丕賱丕賳鬲禺丕亘 丕賱胤亘賷毓賷 Natural selection 丿賷 賲亘丕丿卅 兀爻丕爻賷丞 賲購孬亘鬲丞 毓賱賲賷賸丕貙 賵亘丕賳賷 賰賱 賰賱丕賲賴 賵賳馗乇賷丕鬲賴 毓賱賷賴丕貙 賮兀賰賷丿 丿丕 賰丕賳 毓賯亘丞 廿賳賷 兀氐丿賯 丕賱賲賰鬲賵亘貙 賱兀賳賷 賲丨鬲丕噩丞 兀賯乇兀 毓賳 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 丕賱兀賵賱.
賰賲丕賳 賳賯胤丞 賰丕賳鬲 亘鬲賯賮賱賳賷 賲賳 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞: 兀爻賱賵亘 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞 氐毓亘 賮毓賱賸丕! 賲毓乇賮卮 丿賷 賲卮賰賱丞 鬲乇噩賲丞 賵賱丕 丕賷賴 亘爻 丕賱噩賲賱 賲賰丕賳鬲卮 爻賱爻丞 賰丿丕 賵賰賳鬲 爻丕毓丕鬲 亘賯乇兀 丕賱賮賯乇丞 賲乇鬲賷賳 毓卮丕賳 兀賮賴賲貙 賲卮 毓卮丕賳 氐毓賵亘丞 丕賱賲丨鬲賵賶貙 鬲乇賰賷亘 丕賱噩賲賱 賳賮爻賴 賰丕賳 賮賷賴 丨丕噩丞 睾賱胤. 賰賲丕賳 丕賱卮乇丨 賳賮爻賴 賲卮 賲亘爻胤 亘丕賱賯丿乇 丕賱賰丕賮賷! 賷毓賳賷 亘毓囟 賲賵囟賵毓丕鬲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丿乇爻鬲賴丕 賮賷 丕賱賰賱賷丞 亘丕賱賮毓賱貙 賰鬲丕亘 丕賱賰賱賷丞 丕賱兀賰丕丿賷賲賷 丕賱賲賲賱 賰丕賳 兀爻賴賱 賲賳 兀爻賱賵亘 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丿丕 兀賵賯丕鬲!
賱夭賷丕丿丞 丕賱丕爻鬲賮夭丕夭.. 禺丕鬲賲丞 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘賯賶貙 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 亘賷賯賵賱賰 賯丿 丕賷賴 賱丕夭賲 賳賰賵賳 賲賲鬲賳賷賳 賱賳毓賲丞 丕賱賵噩賵丿 賵丕賱氐丨丞貙 毓卮丕賳 丕賱賰賵賳 亘鬲丕毓賳丕 賷鬲噩賴 賳丨賵 "丕賱賮賵囟賶" 貙 賵賰賱 "賯賵賶" 丕賱賰賵賳 亘鬲賵噩賴賳丕 賳丨賵 丕賱賮賵囟賶.. 爻亘丨丕賳 丕賱賱賴 賵丕賱賱賴! 丕夭丕賷 賲毓 賰賱 丕賱毓賱賲 賵丕賱鬲噩丕乇亘 賵丕賱亘丨孬 賵丕賱賳馗乇賷丕鬲貙 丨丿 賷賰賵賳 卮丕賷賮 廿賳 丕賱賰賵賳 毓亘丕乇丞 毓賳 "賮賵囟賶" 賮賷 賳賴丕賷丞 丕賱賲胤丕賮!
賯丕賱 丕賱賱賴 鬲毓丕賱賶 锎控ベ嗀� 賰賱 卮賷亍 禺賱賯賳丕賴 亘賯賻丿賻乇锎�.
夭賷 賲丕 賯賱鬲貙 賲卮 賴毓鬲賲丿 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丿丕 賰賲氐丿乇 毓賱賲賷 賲賵孬賵賯貙 賵賴毓鬲亘乇賴 賲噩乇丿 賰鬲丕亘 賱賱鬲爻賱賷丞 賲毓 卮賵賷丞 賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 賲賮賷丿丞貙 賱丨丿 賲丕 乇亘賳丕 賷賮鬲丨 毓賱賷丕 賵賷毓胤賷賳賷 丕賱賵賯鬲 賵丕賱噩賴丿 丕賱賱賷 賷爻賲丨賵丕 賱賷 兀賯乇兀 賮賷 丕賱賲噩丕賱丕鬲 丿賷 亘鬲賵爻毓 兀賰亘乇 賵賲賳 賲氐丕丿乇賴丕 丕賱氐丨賷丨丞 丕賱賲賵孬賵賯丞.
賷丕 乇亘 毓賱賲賾賳丕.
丕賱賳氐賮 丕賱兀賵賱 賲賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘賷鬲賰賱賲 毓賳 賲噩賲賵毓丞 賲賳 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 (丕賱氐亘丕睾 丕賱丿賲賵賷 Hemochromatosis - 丕賱亘賵賱 丕賱爻賰乇賷 Diabetes mellitus - 丨爻丕爻賷丞 丕賱賮賵賱 Favism) 賵睾賷乇賴丕..
亘賷鬲賳丕賵賱 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 丿賷 賲賳 賲賳馗賵乇 賲禺鬲賱賮貙 賵賴賵 廿賳 亘丕賱賳爻亘丞 賱亘毓囟 丕賱賳丕爻 賰丕賳鬲 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 賲賳丨丞 賲卮 賲丨賳丞貙 賵爻丕毓丿鬲賴賲 廿賳賴賲 賷賳噩賵丕 賲賳 禺胤乇 兀賰亘乇 賰丕賳 亘賷賴丿丿 丕賱亘卮乇 賷賵賲賸丕 賲丕貙 夭賷 丕賱胤丕毓賵賳 賵丕賱毓氐乇 丕賱噩賱賷丿賷 賵丕賱賲賱丕乇賷丕 賵睾賷乇賴賲..
丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賮賷 兀睾賱亘賴 賲毓鬲賲丿 毓賱賶 "賳馗乇賷丕鬲" 賲卮 丨賯丕卅賯 賵賱賷賴丕 廿孬亘丕鬲丕鬲貙 賮 兀賳丕 卮禺氐賷賸丕 賲卮 賴孬賯 賮賷 丕賱賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 丕賱賲匕賰賵乇丞 孬賯丞 賰丕賲賱丞貙 賰賲丕賳 賲賮賷卮 賯丕卅賲丞 賲氐丕丿乇 賵賱丕 賲乇丕噩毓 賮賷 丕賱丌禺乇! 胤亘 丕賱賱賷 毓丕賷夭 賷鬲兀賰丿 兀賵 丨鬲賶 賷賯乇兀 兀賰鬲乇 毓賳 兀賷 賲賵囟賵毓 丕鬲匕賰乇 賮賷 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷毓賲賱 丕賷賴責 賲卮 毓丕乇賮丞.
賰賲丕賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘賷爻鬲賮賷囟 賮賷 卮乇丨 兀噩夭丕亍 賲賱賴丕卮 毓賱丕賯丞 兀賵賷 亘丕賱賱賷 亘賳鬲賰賱賲 毓賳賴貙 賷毓賳賷 賷賮乇丿 禺賲爻 爻鬲 氐賮丨丕鬲 毓賳 丕賱丨賷賵丕賳丕鬲 賲孬賱賸丕 兀賵 丕賱趩賷賵賱賵趩賷丕 兀賵 丕賱賲賳丕禺貙 毓卮丕賳 賷胤賱毓 賲賳賴賲 亘賮賰乇丞 賲鬲毓賱賯丞 亘丕賱賲賵囟賵毓 丕賱兀爻丕爻賷貙 胤亘 賲丕 賰賳鬲 鬲賱禺氐 丕賱賮賰乇丞 丿賷 賮賷 賳氐 氐賮丨丞 賵賱丕 丨丕噩丞! 賰賳鬲 卮丕賷賮丕賴 鬲卮鬲賷鬲 賵乇睾賷 賲賱賵卮 賱丕夭賲丞 亘氐乇丕丨丞.
丕賱賳氐賮 丕賱孬丕賳賷 賲賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲卮 亘賷鬲賰賱賲 毓賳 兀賲乇丕囟 賲丨丿丿丞貙 亘賷鬲賰賱賲 亘卮賰賱 毓丕賲 毓賳 毓賱丕賯丞 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 亘丕賱亘賰鬲賷乇賷丕 賵丕賱冥賷乇賵爻丕鬲貙 賵毓賱賲 丕賱賵乇丕孬丞 賵賲丕 賮賵賯 丕賱賵乇丕孬丞 Epigenetics貙 賵丌賱賷丞 丕賱卮賷禺賵禺丞.
丕賱賮氐賵賱 丿賷 亘丕賱匕丕鬲 賲毓鬲賲丿丞 賰賱賷賸丕 毓賱賶 賳馗乇賷丞 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 賵丕賱丕賳鬲禺丕亘 丕賱胤亘賷毓賷貙 賮胤亘毓賸丕 兀賷 丨丿 毓賳丿賴 兀爻卅賱丞 賵卮賰賵賰 賮賷 賳馗乇賷丞 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 賲卮 賴賷氐丿賯 丕賱賰賱丕賲 亘爻賴賵賱丞貙 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘賷鬲毓丕賲賱 廿賳 賲亘丿兀 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 Evolution 賵丕賱丕賳鬲禺丕亘 丕賱胤亘賷毓賷 Natural selection 丿賷 賲亘丕丿卅 兀爻丕爻賷丞 賲購孬亘鬲丞 毓賱賲賷賸丕貙 賵亘丕賳賷 賰賱 賰賱丕賲賴 賵賳馗乇賷丕鬲賴 毓賱賷賴丕貙 賮兀賰賷丿 丿丕 賰丕賳 毓賯亘丞 廿賳賷 兀氐丿賯 丕賱賲賰鬲賵亘貙 賱兀賳賷 賲丨鬲丕噩丞 兀賯乇兀 毓賳 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 丕賱兀賵賱.
賰賲丕賳 賳賯胤丞 賰丕賳鬲 亘鬲賯賮賱賳賷 賲賳 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞: 兀爻賱賵亘 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞 氐毓亘 賮毓賱賸丕! 賲毓乇賮卮 丿賷 賲卮賰賱丞 鬲乇噩賲丞 賵賱丕 丕賷賴 亘爻 丕賱噩賲賱 賲賰丕賳鬲卮 爻賱爻丞 賰丿丕 賵賰賳鬲 爻丕毓丕鬲 亘賯乇兀 丕賱賮賯乇丞 賲乇鬲賷賳 毓卮丕賳 兀賮賴賲貙 賲卮 毓卮丕賳 氐毓賵亘丞 丕賱賲丨鬲賵賶貙 鬲乇賰賷亘 丕賱噩賲賱 賳賮爻賴 賰丕賳 賮賷賴 丨丕噩丞 睾賱胤. 賰賲丕賳 丕賱卮乇丨 賳賮爻賴 賲卮 賲亘爻胤 亘丕賱賯丿乇 丕賱賰丕賮賷! 賷毓賳賷 亘毓囟 賲賵囟賵毓丕鬲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丿乇爻鬲賴丕 賮賷 丕賱賰賱賷丞 亘丕賱賮毓賱貙 賰鬲丕亘 丕賱賰賱賷丞 丕賱兀賰丕丿賷賲賷 丕賱賲賲賱 賰丕賳 兀爻賴賱 賲賳 兀爻賱賵亘 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丿丕 兀賵賯丕鬲!
賱夭賷丕丿丞 丕賱丕爻鬲賮夭丕夭.. 禺丕鬲賲丞 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘賯賶貙 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 亘賷賯賵賱賰 賯丿 丕賷賴 賱丕夭賲 賳賰賵賳 賲賲鬲賳賷賳 賱賳毓賲丞 丕賱賵噩賵丿 賵丕賱氐丨丞貙 毓卮丕賳 丕賱賰賵賳 亘鬲丕毓賳丕 賷鬲噩賴 賳丨賵 "丕賱賮賵囟賶" 貙 賵賰賱 "賯賵賶" 丕賱賰賵賳 亘鬲賵噩賴賳丕 賳丨賵 丕賱賮賵囟賶.. 爻亘丨丕賳 丕賱賱賴 賵丕賱賱賴! 丕夭丕賷 賲毓 賰賱 丕賱毓賱賲 賵丕賱鬲噩丕乇亘 賵丕賱亘丨孬 賵丕賱賳馗乇賷丕鬲貙 丨丿 賷賰賵賳 卮丕賷賮 廿賳 丕賱賰賵賳 毓亘丕乇丞 毓賳 "賮賵囟賶" 賮賷 賳賴丕賷丞 丕賱賲胤丕賮!
賯丕賱 丕賱賱賴 鬲毓丕賱賶 锎控ベ嗀� 賰賱 卮賷亍 禺賱賯賳丕賴 亘賯賻丿賻乇锎�.
夭賷 賲丕 賯賱鬲貙 賲卮 賴毓鬲賲丿 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丿丕 賰賲氐丿乇 毓賱賲賷 賲賵孬賵賯貙 賵賴毓鬲亘乇賴 賲噩乇丿 賰鬲丕亘 賱賱鬲爻賱賷丞 賲毓 卮賵賷丞 賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 賲賮賷丿丞貙 賱丨丿 賲丕 乇亘賳丕 賷賮鬲丨 毓賱賷丕 賵賷毓胤賷賳賷 丕賱賵賯鬲 賵丕賱噩賴丿 丕賱賱賷 賷爻賲丨賵丕 賱賷 兀賯乇兀 賮賷 丕賱賲噩丕賱丕鬲 丿賷 亘鬲賵爻毓 兀賰亘乇 賵賲賳 賲氐丕丿乇賴丕 丕賱氐丨賷丨丞 丕賱賲賵孬賵賯丞.
賷丕 乇亘 毓賱賲賾賳丕.
July 3, 2023
"丕賱亘賯丕亍 賱賱兀賯賵賶 兀賵 丕賱亘賯丕亍 賱賱兀氐賱丨"
噩賲賱丞 鬲賱丕丨賯賳丕 賮賷 賰賱 賲賰丕賳 賰毓賯賷丿丞 孬丕亘鬲丞 賱賱鬲胤賵乇!
賵賱賰賳 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷賯丿賲 賳馗乇賷丞 賲丿賴卮丞 賵賮乇賷丿丞 賱賲賮賴賵賲 丕賱賲乇囟貙 賱丕 爻賷賲丕 丕賱賲乇囟 丕賱匕賷 賳鬲賵丕乇孬賴 賮賷 噩賷賳丕鬲賳丕貙 賮賷胤乇丨 賮賰乇丞 兀賳 亘毓囟 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 賯丿 鬲丨賲賶 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 賲賳 兀賲乇丕囟 兀禺乇賷 兀卮丿 賮鬲賰丕賸貙 賵鬲爻丕毓丿賴 毓賱賶 丕賱亘賯丕亍 賮賷 丕賱賵賯鬲 丕賱匕賶 賯丿 賷賴賱賰 賮賷賴 丕賱兀氐丨丕亍.
賮賲孬賱丕賸貙 賲乇囟 丕賱氐亘丕睾 丕賱丿賲賵賷 (鬲乇爻亘 丕賱丨丿賷丿) 賵賲乇囟 賮賯乇 丕賱丿賲 爻丕賴賲丕 賮賷 鬲賵賮賷乇 丕賱丨賲丕賷丞 賲賳 丕賱胤丕毓賵賳 亘丨乇賲丕賳 丕賱亘賰鬲賷乇賷丕 賲賳 丕賱丨丿賷丿 丕賱匕賷 鬲丨鬲丕噩賴 賱賱亘賯丕亍貙 賵賲乇囟 丕賱爻賰乇賷 賯丿 爻丕毓丿 丕賱兀賵乇賵亘賷賷賳 丕賱賯丿丕賲賶 毓賱賶 丕賱賳噩丕丞 賲賳 丕賱亘乇丿 丕賱賲賮丕噩卅 賮賷 丕賱丿乇賷丕爻 丕賱兀氐睾乇貙 賵賲賳 賱丿賷賴賲 丨爻丕爻賷賴 賲賳 丕賱賮賵賱 賱丿賷賴賲 賲賯丕賵賲丞 胤亘賷毓賷丞 兀賮囟賱 賱賱賲賱丕乇賷丕.
兀匕賳 丕賱亘賯丕亍 賯丿 賷賰賵賳 賱賱兀卮丿 賲乇囟丕賸!
賮賰賱 賲丕 賴賵 毓賱賶 賯賷丿 丕賱丨賷丕丞 賷乇賷丿 卮賷卅賷賳: 丕賱亘賯丕亍 賵丕賱鬲賰丕孬乇貙 賵亘丕賱胤亘毓 賳丨賳 賰匕賱賰 兀賷囟丕 丕賱賮乇賯 - 賲賷夭鬲賳丕 丕賱賰亘賷乇丞 - 賴賷 兀賲乇 賵丕丨丿 賮賯胤 ..
賳丨賳 賳毓乇賮 匕賱賰.
賱匕丕 賲賳 禺賱丕賱 賮賴賲 賰賷賮賷丞 鬲胤賵乇 丕賱賰丕卅賳丕鬲 丕賱丨賷丞 丕賱賲爻亘亘丞 賱賱兀賲乇丕囟 丕賱賲毓丿賷丞- 賵賰賷賮 賷丐孬乇 鬲胤賵乇賴丕 毓賱賶 鬲胤賵乇賳丕 - 賳賰鬲爻亘 乇丐賷丞 噩丿賷丿丞 丨賵賱 賰賷賮賷丞 丨丿賵孬 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 賵鬲兀孬賷乇賴丕 毓賱賷賳丕 賵賰賷賮 賷賲賰賳 丕賱爻賷胤乇丞 毓賱賷賴丕 賱氐丕賱丨賳丕.
銆嬞冐ж� 毓賱賲賷貙 乇丕卅毓貙 胤乇丨 丕賱賲賵囟賵毓 亘爻賱丕爻丞 卮丿賷丿丞.
噩賲賱丞 鬲賱丕丨賯賳丕 賮賷 賰賱 賲賰丕賳 賰毓賯賷丿丞 孬丕亘鬲丞 賱賱鬲胤賵乇!
賵賱賰賳 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷賯丿賲 賳馗乇賷丞 賲丿賴卮丞 賵賮乇賷丿丞 賱賲賮賴賵賲 丕賱賲乇囟貙 賱丕 爻賷賲丕 丕賱賲乇囟 丕賱匕賷 賳鬲賵丕乇孬賴 賮賷 噩賷賳丕鬲賳丕貙 賮賷胤乇丨 賮賰乇丞 兀賳 亘毓囟 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 賯丿 鬲丨賲賶 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 賲賳 兀賲乇丕囟 兀禺乇賷 兀卮丿 賮鬲賰丕賸貙 賵鬲爻丕毓丿賴 毓賱賶 丕賱亘賯丕亍 賮賷 丕賱賵賯鬲 丕賱匕賶 賯丿 賷賴賱賰 賮賷賴 丕賱兀氐丨丕亍.
賮賲孬賱丕賸貙 賲乇囟 丕賱氐亘丕睾 丕賱丿賲賵賷 (鬲乇爻亘 丕賱丨丿賷丿) 賵賲乇囟 賮賯乇 丕賱丿賲 爻丕賴賲丕 賮賷 鬲賵賮賷乇 丕賱丨賲丕賷丞 賲賳 丕賱胤丕毓賵賳 亘丨乇賲丕賳 丕賱亘賰鬲賷乇賷丕 賲賳 丕賱丨丿賷丿 丕賱匕賷 鬲丨鬲丕噩賴 賱賱亘賯丕亍貙 賵賲乇囟 丕賱爻賰乇賷 賯丿 爻丕毓丿 丕賱兀賵乇賵亘賷賷賳 丕賱賯丿丕賲賶 毓賱賶 丕賱賳噩丕丞 賲賳 丕賱亘乇丿 丕賱賲賮丕噩卅 賮賷 丕賱丿乇賷丕爻 丕賱兀氐睾乇貙 賵賲賳 賱丿賷賴賲 丨爻丕爻賷賴 賲賳 丕賱賮賵賱 賱丿賷賴賲 賲賯丕賵賲丞 胤亘賷毓賷丞 兀賮囟賱 賱賱賲賱丕乇賷丕.
兀匕賳 丕賱亘賯丕亍 賯丿 賷賰賵賳 賱賱兀卮丿 賲乇囟丕賸!
賮賰賱 賲丕 賴賵 毓賱賶 賯賷丿 丕賱丨賷丕丞 賷乇賷丿 卮賷卅賷賳: 丕賱亘賯丕亍 賵丕賱鬲賰丕孬乇貙 賵亘丕賱胤亘毓 賳丨賳 賰匕賱賰 兀賷囟丕 丕賱賮乇賯 - 賲賷夭鬲賳丕 丕賱賰亘賷乇丞 - 賴賷 兀賲乇 賵丕丨丿 賮賯胤 ..
賳丨賳 賳毓乇賮 匕賱賰.
賱匕丕 賲賳 禺賱丕賱 賮賴賲 賰賷賮賷丞 鬲胤賵乇 丕賱賰丕卅賳丕鬲 丕賱丨賷丞 丕賱賲爻亘亘丞 賱賱兀賲乇丕囟 丕賱賲毓丿賷丞- 賵賰賷賮 賷丐孬乇 鬲胤賵乇賴丕 毓賱賶 鬲胤賵乇賳丕 - 賳賰鬲爻亘 乇丐賷丞 噩丿賷丿丞 丨賵賱 賰賷賮賷丞 丨丿賵孬 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 賵鬲兀孬賷乇賴丕 毓賱賷賳丕 賵賰賷賮 賷賲賰賳 丕賱爻賷胤乇丞 毓賱賷賴丕 賱氐丕賱丨賳丕.
銆嬞冐ж� 毓賱賲賷貙 乇丕卅毓貙 胤乇丨 丕賱賲賵囟賵毓 亘爻賱丕爻丞 卮丿賷丿丞.
April 2, 2008
Very good.
As I wrote to Dr. Moalem,
Dear Dr. Moalem,
I found your book, Survival of the Sickest, on a table in the bookstore that employs me. The title and concept intrigued me. The material has proved fascinating, and, for the large part, very well researched. I am concerned, though, with a statement you make on page 87, regarding psoralen production in organically grown celery. It reads,
Farmers who use synthetic pesticides, while creating a whole host of other problems, are essentially protecting plants from attack. Organic farmers don鈥檛 use synthetic pesticides. So that means organic celery farmers are leaving their growing stalks vulnerable to attack by insects and fungi 鈥� and when those stalks are inevitably munched on, they respond by producing massive amounts of psoralen. By keeping poison off the plant, the organic celery farmer is all but guaranteeing a biological process that will end with lots of poison in the plant.
Within these few sentences, whether by intent or by oversight, you perpetuate a very dangerous fallacy. Your subtext implies that organic farmers, because they choose not to use synthetic pesticides, fungicides, etc, are in some way failing to protect their plants, and in turn the consumers of their foods. The crucial word here is 鈥渟ynthetic.鈥� Even glancing research into the nature of organic farming will yield a wealth of information on natural pest control. For example, using companion planting (e.g. garlic and marigolds protect crops planted near them), natural pest-prevention methods (e.g. ladybugs to manage aphids), and perhaps most importantly, effective crop rotations and management strategies, effective organic farmers are often capable of creating an environment or ecosystem that is simply less accessible to animal, fungal, and even microbial predators. With proper management, the system protects itself without the need for synthetic help.
You might be interested to know that genetics play a strong hand here as well. Plant species, like the marigold, that have developed natural defenses have greatly multiplied their species鈥� success by harnessing the help of human agriculturalists. The flower helps the garden, the gardener breeds the flower. In the same way, the growth of corn provides structure for the growth of beans, and shade for the growth of squash. The beans fix nitrogen in the soil for use by the other plants, and the squash provides ground cover which minimizes weed growth. By carefully selecting the plants and animals he cultivates, and thereby manipulating the ecosystem he manages, an organic farmer uses naturally occurring genetic predispositions, in diet, toxicology, and even plant structure to the benefit of all of the partners in the system.
On the other side of things, conventional industrial monocropping, and, admittedly, most organic industrial agriculture, bring their own inherent dangers to bear on the celery plant. Machine weeding, machine spraying, machine fertilization, and machine harvest, not to mention preparation, packaging, storage, and shipping, all tend to batter the plants. It is rare that I see conventionally grown, bagged, and shipped lettuce at my local supermarket without a chunk or two taken out of it somewhere during it鈥檚 trip from seed to shelf. I would hazard a guess (admittedly, an uneducated one) that at least the pre-mortem processes listed here drive psoralen production as strongly as the odd bug bite does.
In looking through your notes and cited sources, your citations of two papers discussing adverse reactions to celery (with exposure to UV radiation) did catch my eye. Admittedly, I was not able to track down the second of the two articles. Unless its title fails to disclose its focus, though, it does not appear to concern itself with the 鈥渙rganic versus conventional鈥� debate you spark with the throwaway comment quoted above. My apologies if my own failure to read your cited sources has provoked unmerited criticism, but your careless choice of words, and/or your failure to provide discussion of psoralen levels in organic and conventional produce lead me to find your 鈥渃elery comment鈥� reactionary, at best.
Please, Dr. Moalem, take a deeper look into the subtext of your statement above before you decide to publish the next edition of your book. Even if there were data that implied higher psoralen levels in some organic celeries, your writing goes beyond this in discrediting the work of organic growers. You equate the use of highly toxic, environmentally and politically unsustainable synthetic pesticides with pest control. You then equate the use of any other system with a failure in pest control. To quote, 鈥淥rganic farmers don鈥檛 use synthetic pesticides. So that means organic celery farmers are leaving their growing stalks vulnerable to attack by insects and fungi鈥�.(Moalem 87,my italics) The logical fallacy here is one produced by not taking into account all of the variables present. You left this out: Organic farmers use effective alternative systems for managing environmental stresses on their plants. Please, as a published expert, and as a future medical doctor, do not let a lack of research, or an unqualified judgement like that quoted above, turn good reporting into dangerous, normative spin. And otherwise, thank you for your book. It was a wonderful read.
Sincerely,
Christopher Keefe
As I wrote to Dr. Moalem,
Dear Dr. Moalem,
I found your book, Survival of the Sickest, on a table in the bookstore that employs me. The title and concept intrigued me. The material has proved fascinating, and, for the large part, very well researched. I am concerned, though, with a statement you make on page 87, regarding psoralen production in organically grown celery. It reads,
Farmers who use synthetic pesticides, while creating a whole host of other problems, are essentially protecting plants from attack. Organic farmers don鈥檛 use synthetic pesticides. So that means organic celery farmers are leaving their growing stalks vulnerable to attack by insects and fungi 鈥� and when those stalks are inevitably munched on, they respond by producing massive amounts of psoralen. By keeping poison off the plant, the organic celery farmer is all but guaranteeing a biological process that will end with lots of poison in the plant.
Within these few sentences, whether by intent or by oversight, you perpetuate a very dangerous fallacy. Your subtext implies that organic farmers, because they choose not to use synthetic pesticides, fungicides, etc, are in some way failing to protect their plants, and in turn the consumers of their foods. The crucial word here is 鈥渟ynthetic.鈥� Even glancing research into the nature of organic farming will yield a wealth of information on natural pest control. For example, using companion planting (e.g. garlic and marigolds protect crops planted near them), natural pest-prevention methods (e.g. ladybugs to manage aphids), and perhaps most importantly, effective crop rotations and management strategies, effective organic farmers are often capable of creating an environment or ecosystem that is simply less accessible to animal, fungal, and even microbial predators. With proper management, the system protects itself without the need for synthetic help.
You might be interested to know that genetics play a strong hand here as well. Plant species, like the marigold, that have developed natural defenses have greatly multiplied their species鈥� success by harnessing the help of human agriculturalists. The flower helps the garden, the gardener breeds the flower. In the same way, the growth of corn provides structure for the growth of beans, and shade for the growth of squash. The beans fix nitrogen in the soil for use by the other plants, and the squash provides ground cover which minimizes weed growth. By carefully selecting the plants and animals he cultivates, and thereby manipulating the ecosystem he manages, an organic farmer uses naturally occurring genetic predispositions, in diet, toxicology, and even plant structure to the benefit of all of the partners in the system.
On the other side of things, conventional industrial monocropping, and, admittedly, most organic industrial agriculture, bring their own inherent dangers to bear on the celery plant. Machine weeding, machine spraying, machine fertilization, and machine harvest, not to mention preparation, packaging, storage, and shipping, all tend to batter the plants. It is rare that I see conventionally grown, bagged, and shipped lettuce at my local supermarket without a chunk or two taken out of it somewhere during it鈥檚 trip from seed to shelf. I would hazard a guess (admittedly, an uneducated one) that at least the pre-mortem processes listed here drive psoralen production as strongly as the odd bug bite does.
In looking through your notes and cited sources, your citations of two papers discussing adverse reactions to celery (with exposure to UV radiation) did catch my eye. Admittedly, I was not able to track down the second of the two articles. Unless its title fails to disclose its focus, though, it does not appear to concern itself with the 鈥渙rganic versus conventional鈥� debate you spark with the throwaway comment quoted above. My apologies if my own failure to read your cited sources has provoked unmerited criticism, but your careless choice of words, and/or your failure to provide discussion of psoralen levels in organic and conventional produce lead me to find your 鈥渃elery comment鈥� reactionary, at best.
Please, Dr. Moalem, take a deeper look into the subtext of your statement above before you decide to publish the next edition of your book. Even if there were data that implied higher psoralen levels in some organic celeries, your writing goes beyond this in discrediting the work of organic growers. You equate the use of highly toxic, environmentally and politically unsustainable synthetic pesticides with pest control. You then equate the use of any other system with a failure in pest control. To quote, 鈥淥rganic farmers don鈥檛 use synthetic pesticides. So that means organic celery farmers are leaving their growing stalks vulnerable to attack by insects and fungi鈥�.(Moalem 87,my italics) The logical fallacy here is one produced by not taking into account all of the variables present. You left this out: Organic farmers use effective alternative systems for managing environmental stresses on their plants. Please, as a published expert, and as a future medical doctor, do not let a lack of research, or an unqualified judgement like that quoted above, turn good reporting into dangerous, normative spin. And otherwise, thank you for your book. It was a wonderful read.
Sincerely,
Christopher Keefe
June 30, 2023
This was published in 1997 and there is a blip between chapters and musical transitions. Everything out there is influencing everything else. Dancing and consuming with my eyes/ears Moalem鈥檚 Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease was not as fluid yet intrigued me as how the human species adapts to the environment. Some facts within may require verification.
A common disease does have an etiologic relationship to the cold, and such is Diabetes he states. Erudition via the way streptococcus has molecular mimicry and are invaders to the body. Voles are a paradigm as to the predictive and adaptive response of babies born into good environments or volatile ones---in-vitro maternal response.
鈥�...in 1397 the plague begins it march across Europe. People who have the hemochromatosis mutation are especially resistant to infection because of their iron starved macrophages鈥hough it will kill them decades later.鈥�
---Sharon Moalem, MD, PhD
According to Moalem, hemochromatosis protected people from the plague. Our relationship to disease is more complex than previously realized. Cadence of this book is not such that I accustomed to as---perhaps being weaned on Gawande and Marsh imparts a Zeiss-like lens and a lofty end point or outcome only genius can achieve.
Writing is not scientifically slanted and more appropriate for a common audience. In brief this implies that jargon is a rare animal and not found within. Presentation is one that delights the common reader with monosyllabic treasures. If a gumbo pot from worms to diseases and jumping genes sounds engaging, then this is a read for you.
A common disease does have an etiologic relationship to the cold, and such is Diabetes he states. Erudition via the way streptococcus has molecular mimicry and are invaders to the body. Voles are a paradigm as to the predictive and adaptive response of babies born into good environments or volatile ones---in-vitro maternal response.
鈥�...in 1397 the plague begins it march across Europe. People who have the hemochromatosis mutation are especially resistant to infection because of their iron starved macrophages鈥hough it will kill them decades later.鈥�
---Sharon Moalem, MD, PhD
According to Moalem, hemochromatosis protected people from the plague. Our relationship to disease is more complex than previously realized. Cadence of this book is not such that I accustomed to as---perhaps being weaned on Gawande and Marsh imparts a Zeiss-like lens and a lofty end point or outcome only genius can achieve.
Writing is not scientifically slanted and more appropriate for a common audience. In brief this implies that jargon is a rare animal and not found within. Presentation is one that delights the common reader with monosyllabic treasures. If a gumbo pot from worms to diseases and jumping genes sounds engaging, then this is a read for you.
February 21, 2017
This is a book which is simply incredible and super entertaining .
It amazes me that human beings can live through such huge changes
It talked about how specific common diseases and conditions (like diabetes and high cholesterol) actually may have been naturally selected because they provided an adaptive advantage in a particular environment.
Hemochromatosis may have helped Europeans to survive the black Death ,and
Diabetes may have been there evolutionary solution to avoid freezing in
the ice age, And Favism was our weapon against Malaria.
I enjoyed reading about diseases, genetics, immunity, Epigenetics and history.
This is a fascinating read and a wonderfully-written book .
Very enlightening!
==========================
Attention undoubtedly will be centered on the genome, with
greater appreciation of its significance as a highly sensitive
organ of the cell that monitors genomic activities and corrects
common errors, senses unusual and unexpected events, and
responds to them, often by restructuring the genome.
_________________________
Where there is folklore smoke, there is medical fire.
It amazes me that human beings can live through such huge changes
It talked about how specific common diseases and conditions (like diabetes and high cholesterol) actually may have been naturally selected because they provided an adaptive advantage in a particular environment.
Hemochromatosis may have helped Europeans to survive the black Death ,and
Diabetes may have been there evolutionary solution to avoid freezing in
the ice age, And Favism was our weapon against Malaria.
I enjoyed reading about diseases, genetics, immunity, Epigenetics and history.
This is a fascinating read and a wonderfully-written book .
Very enlightening!
==========================
Attention undoubtedly will be centered on the genome, with
greater appreciation of its significance as a highly sensitive
organ of the cell that monitors genomic activities and corrects
common errors, senses unusual and unexpected events, and
responds to them, often by restructuring the genome.
_________________________
Where there is folklore smoke, there is medical fire.
May 6, 2008
Marketing looked like a complete ripoff of Freakonomics. Style reads like Freakonomics with a personal health/medicine spin.
Too boldly mixes well accepted medical observations: Sickle Cell Anemia is related to genes that provide resistance to Malaria. Get one you're good, get two you're screwed.
With absolutely left field speculation: African-Americans have high incidents of hypertension and heart disease due to a artificial selectional pressure exerted on them by their ancestors' passage across the Atlantic during the slave trade. Being given very small rations of water created a selectional pressure for those that could retain salt, thereby retaining water and surviving. Seems to make logical sense but there is nothing to back this up.
Too boldly mixes well accepted medical observations: Sickle Cell Anemia is related to genes that provide resistance to Malaria. Get one you're good, get two you're screwed.
With absolutely left field speculation: African-Americans have high incidents of hypertension and heart disease due to a artificial selectional pressure exerted on them by their ancestors' passage across the Atlantic during the slave trade. Being given very small rations of water created a selectional pressure for those that could retain salt, thereby retaining water and surviving. Seems to make logical sense but there is nothing to back this up.
June 17, 2016
This book was EXCELLENT!
Despite being written in 2007, this book is as up to date as any book about evolution. In fact, it's even better than his 2014 book Inheritance. If you are tired of reading books that work very hard to preserve the image of the selfish gene and are looking for a book that celebrates the newer information researchers have gained since the 1970s, I highly recommend reading this. Geneticist Sharon Moalem examines the role that jumping genes, parasites and viruses, and epigenetic modification play in evolution.
Currently there is a battle raging in academia about whether or not to update the "Modern Synthesis of Evolution," put forward in 1942 by Julian Huxley and supported by Dawkins' work in the 1970s and beyond. Dawkins and his crowd have worked hard to attack anyone who works to update this synthesis with the myriad data that have poured in since his time in the spotlight, which is a shame because the work on this front is mindblowingly good! The field of evolution research needed this book. Helping to get this information to the masses is extremely important if there is any hope for a paradigm shift to a more accurate, updated, and complete understanding of how evolution works. This book will go a long way to helping that shift occur.
Unfortunately, this book makes no mention of one of the researchers who fought the hardest to bring awareness of epigenetic modification to the public. Her name is Eva Jablonka, and Moalem should have mentioned her, but even with that oversight, this book was truly great! Moalem covered McClintock's jumping genes in wonderful detail (better than almost anything I have read to date). These little genes provide a lot of diversity and are the descendants of amazingly clever viruses. He also covered work by Luis P. Villarreal that is extremely current. Villarreal's ideas took some time to catch on. He proposes that viruses work to add diversity to DNA. If DNA were slowly mutated over time, we would not see the change we do. Villarreal's work shows how viruses act like software that add novel instructions to the DNA's more rigid and fixed code. Since this book was written in 2007, you might want to watch Villarreal's more recent talk. Here is the link:
Moalem also looked at hypermutations in e. Coli. In many experiments (still controversial today), researchers have found that jumping genes as well as regular genes seem to respond to environmental factors and can order up a faster mutation rate or increased need for genes to jump and fix a problem. Very exciting to think about! He also covered various epigenetic modifications of genes.
Each subject is written about in an easy to understand and extremely entertaining manner. I can't think of a better book to introduce people to what will undoubtedly be the new modern synthesis of evolution.
Despite being written in 2007, this book is as up to date as any book about evolution. In fact, it's even better than his 2014 book Inheritance. If you are tired of reading books that work very hard to preserve the image of the selfish gene and are looking for a book that celebrates the newer information researchers have gained since the 1970s, I highly recommend reading this. Geneticist Sharon Moalem examines the role that jumping genes, parasites and viruses, and epigenetic modification play in evolution.
Currently there is a battle raging in academia about whether or not to update the "Modern Synthesis of Evolution," put forward in 1942 by Julian Huxley and supported by Dawkins' work in the 1970s and beyond. Dawkins and his crowd have worked hard to attack anyone who works to update this synthesis with the myriad data that have poured in since his time in the spotlight, which is a shame because the work on this front is mindblowingly good! The field of evolution research needed this book. Helping to get this information to the masses is extremely important if there is any hope for a paradigm shift to a more accurate, updated, and complete understanding of how evolution works. This book will go a long way to helping that shift occur.
Unfortunately, this book makes no mention of one of the researchers who fought the hardest to bring awareness of epigenetic modification to the public. Her name is Eva Jablonka, and Moalem should have mentioned her, but even with that oversight, this book was truly great! Moalem covered McClintock's jumping genes in wonderful detail (better than almost anything I have read to date). These little genes provide a lot of diversity and are the descendants of amazingly clever viruses. He also covered work by Luis P. Villarreal that is extremely current. Villarreal's ideas took some time to catch on. He proposes that viruses work to add diversity to DNA. If DNA were slowly mutated over time, we would not see the change we do. Villarreal's work shows how viruses act like software that add novel instructions to the DNA's more rigid and fixed code. Since this book was written in 2007, you might want to watch Villarreal's more recent talk. Here is the link:
Moalem also looked at hypermutations in e. Coli. In many experiments (still controversial today), researchers have found that jumping genes as well as regular genes seem to respond to environmental factors and can order up a faster mutation rate or increased need for genes to jump and fix a problem. Very exciting to think about! He also covered various epigenetic modifications of genes.
Each subject is written about in an easy to understand and extremely entertaining manner. I can't think of a better book to introduce people to what will undoubtedly be the new modern synthesis of evolution.
June 21, 2015
It's science -- made simple! I got to indulge my inner geek without having to overexert my brain cells. (Well, okay, I did have to read a couple of pages over again to get it, but hey, I was really, really tired that night.) Seriously, I was fascinated by the subject matter -- the interplay of genetics and disease -- and the writing style was wonderfully accessible to the lay reader. If I had read this book in high school (which would have been impossible, since these discoveries hadn't been made yet), I would have a different career today. Yes, I found it THAT interesting.
In a nutshell, the disease that runs up your medical bills today may be the very disease that saved your ancestors long enough to reproduce, and consequently, contribute to your existence. For example, because I know my genetics (I told you I have an inner geek), I know that I am a carrier for a disease that, over time, causes too much iron to accumulate in major body organs. (Don't worry about me, I'm only a carrier -- I'm fine.) What I didn't know is this: the fact that I have this gene means my ancestors -- at least some of them -- must have survived the Black Death that swept across Europe in the Middle Ages, because having this gene makes one more resistant to the bubonic bad guys. (So if the plague makes a reappearance, I'm good!)
If you found that last tidbit interesting, then you will like this book. And if you want to feel hopeful for your grandchildren's future, reflect on this: the day is coming when the drugs you are given for the things that ail you will be individually created just for you and your genotype, increasing the odds that they will be swift and effective. And that's just downright amazing!
In a nutshell, the disease that runs up your medical bills today may be the very disease that saved your ancestors long enough to reproduce, and consequently, contribute to your existence. For example, because I know my genetics (I told you I have an inner geek), I know that I am a carrier for a disease that, over time, causes too much iron to accumulate in major body organs. (Don't worry about me, I'm only a carrier -- I'm fine.) What I didn't know is this: the fact that I have this gene means my ancestors -- at least some of them -- must have survived the Black Death that swept across Europe in the Middle Ages, because having this gene makes one more resistant to the bubonic bad guys. (So if the plague makes a reappearance, I'm good!)
If you found that last tidbit interesting, then you will like this book. And if you want to feel hopeful for your grandchildren's future, reflect on this: the day is coming when the drugs you are given for the things that ail you will be individually created just for you and your genotype, increasing the odds that they will be swift and effective. And that's just downright amazing!
May 8, 2010
The interconnectedness between disease and certain populations of individuals is extremely interesting and the writing in this book is very entertaining. However, I was bothered by the author's arrogance. It was almost distracting while reading -- the subtitle says it all..."A Medical Maverick Discovers...". "Medical Maverick" is a bold statement when really, the author did a bunch of research and none of his own experiments (or if he did, that wasn't clear from reading the book). And "discovered" implies he came across something no one else knew, when in reality, he took a bunch of concepts that other people figured out and combined those ideas into an entertaining and well-written book.
If you have even a basic understanding of biology, you'll get along with this book fine. If you can ignore other people's boasting, you'll get along with it even better. While I do happen to be sensitive to the author's attitude, I do recommend reading this book if you have even a passing interest in why we get sick.
If you have even a basic understanding of biology, you'll get along with this book fine. If you can ignore other people's boasting, you'll get along with it even better. While I do happen to be sensitive to the author's attitude, I do recommend reading this book if you have even a passing interest in why we get sick.
August 16, 2009
This was the most interesting book I've read in a long time. I liked the breezy style- kind of 'popular science' approach. Covered a wide variety of diseases & conditions and the genetic & environmental reasons they have remained in the human gene pool. Background on how much of the human make-up is really not human at all but largely viruses in a symbiotic relationship was creepy but interesting. Very cool book.
Read again in '08 for f2f discussion group.
Read again in '08 for f2f discussion group.
January 4, 2009
This book is one of the best books I've ever read. I learned so much and have recommended it to so many people (and have given it as gifts). I learned things I would have never known...so many pieces came together in this book. I would suggest it to anyone who needs a break from their "novel" reading. Switch it up and read this book. You'll be glad you did!
July 2, 2015
I suppose I judged this book by it's cover, making it a little disappointing when I read it. The author also goes off on some random tangents that I found distracting. That being said, there were some interesting parts -- particularly the discussion of how many genetic diseases are with us because they offered a survival benefit to our ancestors.
January 2, 2025
Survival of the Sickest was informative constantly throughout the entire book. The flow of the book was really amazing, Dr. Moalem began the book with diseases such as Iron Deficiency, High Cholesterol, and Diabetes and he ends the book with life and death. He used his knowledge to create a book about genes and the mutations that occur within them while also painting the story of life. He explains why people are beginning to be overweight more and more. I have questions about the process of accumulating all the information within the book, he mentioned more experiments than I could even think to count. I also question specific processes, I would have liked to go more in depth on the patterns and processes that occur in the body. I think this book could have easily been 400 pages and still not answer all the questions because the development of antibodies alone could be an entire book. On the matter of recommending this book to others it would greatly depend on the person, someone who likes living a simple life. I would not recommend this book as it makes you think a lot about life and the processes in it. However someone who has a hunger for knowledge and is constantly questioning life itself I would recommend this book to. I think personally that this book is a great foundation for anyone who has questions about diseases, genes, and life itself. Reading it was a joy and I can truthfully say that the knowledge I have that results from this book will greatly benefit me in the future.
August 20, 2023
賰丕賳鬲 賯乇丕亍丞 賲賲鬲毓丞 賵孬乇賷賾丞 賵鬲賮鬲丨 兀亘賵丕亘賸丕 賱賱鬲賮賰賷乇 賵乇丐賷丞 賱賱兀賲乇丕囟 亘賲賳馗賵乇 賲禺鬲賱賮.. 賱賰賳 毓賳丿 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賲乇賵賳丞 賵鬲爻丕賴賱 賰亘賷乇 噩丿賸丕 賮賷 賯亘賵賱 賳馗乇賷丕鬲 賵丕賮鬲乇丕囟丕鬲 賰孬賷乇丞 睾賷乇 孬丕亘鬲丞 毓賱賲賷賸丕 賵賷亘賳賷 毓賱賷賴丕 賳鬲丕卅噩 賵禺賱丕氐丕鬲 賳賴丕卅賷丞 鬲禺丿賲 賮賰乇鬲賴 丕賱鬲賷 亘丿賵乇賴丕 賱丕 賷賲賰賳 丕賱丨賰賲 毓賱賷賴丕 兀賳賴丕 賳馗乇賷丞 毓賱賲賷丞 (亘丕賱賲毓賳賶 丕賱賰賱丕爻賷賰賷 丕賱卮丕卅毓 毓賳 丕賱毓賱賲 兀賵 丕賱賭 science) 賵丕賱兀賳賰賶 賲賳 匕賱賰 兀賳賴 賷亘丿兀 賵賷賳胤賱賯 賲賳 賳馗乇賷丞 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 丕賱丿丕乇賵賷賳賷丞 賵廿賱賷賴丕 賷賳鬲賴賷貙 賵賷鬲毓丕賲賱 賲毓賴丕 毓賱賶 兀賳賴丕 賲爻賱賾賲丞 賲胤賱賯丞 賷噩亘 兀賳 鬲賮爻賻乇 賰賱 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 丕賱亘賷賵賱賵噩賷丞 賵丕賱亘賷賵賰賲賷丕卅賷丞 毓賱賶 兀爻丕爻賴丕貙 賵賴賷 丕賱亘丕乇丕丿賷賲 丕賱賲賴賷賲賳 毓賱賶 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賳 丕賱賲賯丿賲丞 廿賱賶 丕賱禺丕鬲賲丞貙 賮兀賰孬乇 丕賱賵馗丕卅賯 賵丕賱丌賱賷丕鬲 丕賱丨賷賵賷丞 賵爻賱賵賰賷丕鬲 丕賱禺賱賷丞 丕賱丨賷丞 兀賵 丕賱賰丕卅賳 丕賱丨賷 丕賱賲賵氐賵賮丞 賮賷 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賱丕 鬲賰丕丿 鬲噩丿丿 賱賴丕 賲賮爻乇賸丕 廿賱丕 兀賳 丕賱囟睾胤 丕賱鬲胤賵乇賷 賷賯賮 賵乇丕亍 匕賱賰 賰賱賴貙 丕賱兀賲乇 丕賱匕賷 賷賯囟賷 毓賱賶 丕賱賲賵囟賵毓賷丞 丕賱毓賱賲賷丞 賱賱賰鬲丕亘貙 賵賷噩毓賱賴 兀賯乇亘 廿賱賶 賳馗乇賷丞 賮賱爻賮賷丞 賲賳賴 廿賱賶 丕賱丨賯賱 丕賱毓賱賲賷.
丕賱卮賷亍 丕賱睾乇賷亘 丕賱賲爻鬲賳賰乇 兀賳 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賷氐賮 -賮賷 禺丕鬲賲丞 賰鬲丕亘賴- 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 亘丕賱賲毓噩夭丞 (賵賴賷 賰賱賲丞 賲亘賴賲丞 亘丕賱賳爻亘丞 賱賱丨賯賱 丕賱鬲噩乇賷亘賷) 賵賷囟毓賴 賮賷 氐乇丕毓 賲毓 賯賵賶 丕賱賰賵賳 "丕賱賮賵囟賵賷"!
賵乇睾賲 匕賱賰 兀乇賶 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷爻鬲丨賯 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 亘卮丿丞 賵賷爻鬲丨賯 兀賰孬乇 丕賱賲夭賷丿 賲賳 丕賱亘丨孬 賵丕賱鬲兀賲賱 賮賷 丕賱賮賰乇丞 丕賱毓丕賲丞 賱賴 賵廿毓丕丿丞 氐賷丕睾鬲賴丕 亘賵毓賷 兀賰亘乇 賵賳馗乇丞 兀毓賲賯 賵兀賰孬乇 卮賲賵賱賷丞 丿賵賳 丕賱賵賯賵毓 賮賷 兀爻乇 賴匕賻賷丕賳丕鬲 丿丕乇賵賳 賵兀亘賳丕卅賴.
丕賱卮賷亍 丕賱睾乇賷亘 丕賱賲爻鬲賳賰乇 兀賳 丕賱賲丐賱賮 賷氐賮 -賮賷 禺丕鬲賲丞 賰鬲丕亘賴- 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 亘丕賱賲毓噩夭丞 (賵賴賷 賰賱賲丞 賲亘賴賲丞 亘丕賱賳爻亘丞 賱賱丨賯賱 丕賱鬲噩乇賷亘賷) 賵賷囟毓賴 賮賷 氐乇丕毓 賲毓 賯賵賶 丕賱賰賵賳 "丕賱賮賵囟賵賷"!
賵乇睾賲 匕賱賰 兀乇賶 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷爻鬲丨賯 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 亘卮丿丞 賵賷爻鬲丨賯 兀賰孬乇 丕賱賲夭賷丿 賲賳 丕賱亘丨孬 賵丕賱鬲兀賲賱 賮賷 丕賱賮賰乇丞 丕賱毓丕賲丞 賱賴 賵廿毓丕丿丞 氐賷丕睾鬲賴丕 亘賵毓賷 兀賰亘乇 賵賳馗乇丞 兀毓賲賯 賵兀賰孬乇 卮賲賵賱賷丞 丿賵賳 丕賱賵賯賵毓 賮賷 兀爻乇 賴匕賻賷丕賳丕鬲 丿丕乇賵賳 賵兀亘賳丕卅賴.
November 5, 2022
丿乇丕爻丞 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 丕賱亘卮乇賷丞 賰馗賵丕賴乇 孬丕亘鬲丞 (丕毓乇丕囟 賲毓賷賳丞 鬲賳鬲賲賷 賱賲乇囟 賲毓賷賳 賱賴 爻亘亘 賵亘丕賱鬲丕賱賷 丿賵丕亍) 賴賵 丕賰孬乇 丕爻賱賵亘 爻賷爻噩賱 賮卮賱賴 賲毓 賰賱 丨丕賱丞 胤亘賷丞 噩丿賷丿丞 ... 賱丕賳賳丕 賳鬲賳丕夭賱 毓賳 丕賴賲 丕賱丨賯丕卅賯 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賵氐賱賳丕 丕賱賷賴丕貙 賵賴賷 丕賳 丕賱孬丕亘鬲 丕賱賵丨賷丿 賮賷 賴匕丕 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賴賵 丕賱鬲睾賷賷乇 ..
賰賱 卮賷亍 賷鬲睾賷乇貙 丕噩爻丕丿賳丕貙 賲爻亘亘丕鬲 丕賱丕賲乇丕囟貙 鬲兀孬賷乇 丕賱丕丿賵賷丞貙 睾匕丕卅賳丕貙 賴賵丕卅賳丕 丨鬲賶!
賮賳丨賳 賱丕 賳毓賷卮 亘睾乇賮丞 賲毓夭賵賱丞 亘賴丕 賳賮爻 丕賱賲丿禺賱丕鬲 賵丕賱賲禺乇噩丕鬲貙 禺丕氐丞 丕賳賳丕 賳賲丿 丕賷丿賷賳丕 賮賷 賰賱 賲乇丞 賱丕氐賱丕丨 丕賱賲卮丕賰賱 賵丕賱丕毓胤丕亘 賵丨鬲賶 鬲兀禺賷乇 丕賱賲賵鬲 ..
賷亘丨孬 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賮賷 爻丐丕賱 (賱賲丕匕丕 賳賲乇囟)責 賱賲丕匕丕 賳賵乇賾孬 丕賱丕賲乇丕囟 賱賲丕匕丕 賱賲 賷爻鬲孬賳賷 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 丕賵賱卅賰 丕賱匕賷賳 賷鬲毓亘賵賳 賵賷馗賴乇賵賳 丕賱丕賲丕 卮丿賷丿丞
毓亘乇 丕賱亘丨孬 丕賱毓丿賷丿 賲賳 丕賱丕賲乇丕囟貙 賲賳賴丕 丕賱爻賰乇賷 賵丕乇鬲賮丕毓 丕賱賰賵賱賷爻鬲乇賵賱 賵丕賱丨爻丕爻賷丞 賲賳 丕賱賮賵賱 賵睾賷乇賴丕貙 賷丨丕賵賱 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱丕噩丕亘丞 毓賳 鬲賮乇毓丕鬲 爻丐丕賱 爻亘亘 丕賱丕賲乇丕囟 貙貙 丕賵 亘丕賱丕丨乇賶 丕賱丕爻亘丕亘 丕賱賵噩賷賴丞 賱賱丕賲乇丕囟 .. 賰賲丕 賷亘丨孬 賮賷 毓賱丕賯丞 丕賱丕賳爻丕賳 丕賱賲毓賯丿丞 賲毓 亘丕賯賷 丕賱賰丕卅賳丕鬲 丕賱賲賲乇囟丞 賰丕賱賳亘丕鬲丕鬲 丕賱爻賲賷丞 賵丕賱賲賷賰乇賵亘丕鬲 丕賱囟丕乇丞 ... 賰賲丕 賷亘丨孬 賮賷 丕賱賲爻亘亘丕鬲 丕賱丿丕禺賱賷丞 賮賷 噩爻賲 丕賱丕賳爻丕賳 ..
乇丨賱丞 賲賲鬲毓丞 噩丿丕 鬲毓胤賷 丕胤丕乇丕 毓丕賲丕 賯丕亘賱 賱賱鬲毓丿賷賱 賱賮賴賲 鬲毓賯賷丿 丕賱賲乇囟 賵丕賱卮賮丕亍 ..
#丕賱亘賯丕亍冲賱賱兀卮丿冲賲乇囟丕賸
賰賱 卮賷亍 賷鬲睾賷乇貙 丕噩爻丕丿賳丕貙 賲爻亘亘丕鬲 丕賱丕賲乇丕囟貙 鬲兀孬賷乇 丕賱丕丿賵賷丞貙 睾匕丕卅賳丕貙 賴賵丕卅賳丕 丨鬲賶!
賮賳丨賳 賱丕 賳毓賷卮 亘睾乇賮丞 賲毓夭賵賱丞 亘賴丕 賳賮爻 丕賱賲丿禺賱丕鬲 賵丕賱賲禺乇噩丕鬲貙 禺丕氐丞 丕賳賳丕 賳賲丿 丕賷丿賷賳丕 賮賷 賰賱 賲乇丞 賱丕氐賱丕丨 丕賱賲卮丕賰賱 賵丕賱丕毓胤丕亘 賵丨鬲賶 鬲兀禺賷乇 丕賱賲賵鬲 ..
賷亘丨孬 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賮賷 爻丐丕賱 (賱賲丕匕丕 賳賲乇囟)責 賱賲丕匕丕 賳賵乇賾孬 丕賱丕賲乇丕囟 賱賲丕匕丕 賱賲 賷爻鬲孬賳賷 丕賱鬲胤賵乇 丕賵賱卅賰 丕賱匕賷賳 賷鬲毓亘賵賳 賵賷馗賴乇賵賳 丕賱丕賲丕 卮丿賷丿丞
毓亘乇 丕賱亘丨孬 丕賱毓丿賷丿 賲賳 丕賱丕賲乇丕囟貙 賲賳賴丕 丕賱爻賰乇賷 賵丕乇鬲賮丕毓 丕賱賰賵賱賷爻鬲乇賵賱 賵丕賱丨爻丕爻賷丞 賲賳 丕賱賮賵賱 賵睾賷乇賴丕貙 賷丨丕賵賱 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱丕噩丕亘丞 毓賳 鬲賮乇毓丕鬲 爻丐丕賱 爻亘亘 丕賱丕賲乇丕囟 貙貙 丕賵 亘丕賱丕丨乇賶 丕賱丕爻亘丕亘 丕賱賵噩賷賴丞 賱賱丕賲乇丕囟 .. 賰賲丕 賷亘丨孬 賮賷 毓賱丕賯丞 丕賱丕賳爻丕賳 丕賱賲毓賯丿丞 賲毓 亘丕賯賷 丕賱賰丕卅賳丕鬲 丕賱賲賲乇囟丞 賰丕賱賳亘丕鬲丕鬲 丕賱爻賲賷丞 賵丕賱賲賷賰乇賵亘丕鬲 丕賱囟丕乇丞 ... 賰賲丕 賷亘丨孬 賮賷 丕賱賲爻亘亘丕鬲 丕賱丿丕禺賱賷丞 賮賷 噩爻賲 丕賱丕賳爻丕賳 ..
乇丨賱丞 賲賲鬲毓丞 噩丿丕 鬲毓胤賷 丕胤丕乇丕 毓丕賲丕 賯丕亘賱 賱賱鬲毓丿賷賱 賱賮賴賲 鬲毓賯賷丿 丕賱賲乇囟 賵丕賱卮賮丕亍 ..
#丕賱亘賯丕亍冲賱賱兀卮丿冲賲乇囟丕賸
September 20, 2009
The thesis sounds interesting, but the author doesn't provide very many examples, and for those he does, the evidence is speculative at best.
Do people have diabetes today because it "may" have helped during the ice age?
Prove it.
While he tries to explain the past, he offers no ideas as to how things may change now that the ice age is over and plague is rare.
He cites his sources, but if you check them out, many turn out to be ordinary newspapers like US Today.
These are not valid sources of scientific discovery/information.
He reminds me of Susan Faludy in that style of "research".
The author has a smart-alecky style of writing at times that makes me think he's writing for a 12 year old audience.
There are better books on evolution and medicine.
Do people have diabetes today because it "may" have helped during the ice age?
Prove it.
While he tries to explain the past, he offers no ideas as to how things may change now that the ice age is over and plague is rare.
He cites his sources, but if you check them out, many turn out to be ordinary newspapers like US Today.
These are not valid sources of scientific discovery/information.
He reminds me of Susan Faludy in that style of "research".
The author has a smart-alecky style of writing at times that makes me think he's writing for a 12 year old audience.
There are better books on evolution and medicine.
January 30, 2016
BEST. BOOK. EVER. One fascinating page after another crammed with explanations for all kinds of stuff that goes on in a person's body. He started right out by answering a question I've wondered about for years, and got bonus points for telling me my own wild guess was correct. He got to the childbirth part and I thought, oh, great, here's where the whole book goes splat -- BUT HE HAS NOT ONLY READ ELAINE MORGAN, HE GETS THAT SHE IS RIGHT! If only this book had been twice as long!
July 23, 2022
So yeah this took me almost a month I don鈥檛 want to talk about it. But ignoring that this was actually so so good. I feel like I learned a lot and it was really interesting to read. Like I could actually rave about it it was so good. Even if you鈥檙e not taking ap bio next year I highly recommend it. I think my favorite parts was the chapter about epigenetics and maybe virulence? I don鈥檛 know it was all so good. And my excuse for it taking so long is band camp and also the reading guide because if I was just at home and not doing the reading guide I guarantee it wouldn鈥檛 have taken me this long. Anyways absolutely 5 stars best nonfiction book I鈥檝e read.
July 31, 2022
This was summer reading for AP Bio. At first, I was infuriated. I mean, here I was trying to enjoy my summer, and then all of the sudden I had to read a full on nonfiction book for a course I had already taken a year of?
But then I had the idea to listen to it as an audiobook, and damn, it was absolutely fascinating. It made my 40 minute drives to practice so much more interesting. What鈥檚 more? It鈥檚 written for an audience without a degree in a scientific field. And let me tell you this: it鈥檚 written really, really well.
It鈥檚 easy to process yet deals with extraordinarily complex concepts. The basic theme is that evolution happens for a reason and has an extremely far-reaching impact.
I highly recommend this, especially in audiobook format!
But then I had the idea to listen to it as an audiobook, and damn, it was absolutely fascinating. It made my 40 minute drives to practice so much more interesting. What鈥檚 more? It鈥檚 written for an audience without a degree in a scientific field. And let me tell you this: it鈥檚 written really, really well.
It鈥檚 easy to process yet deals with extraordinarily complex concepts. The basic theme is that evolution happens for a reason and has an extremely far-reaching impact.
I highly recommend this, especially in audiobook format!
September 19, 2022
Interesting book. I loved how accessible the writing was, the flow of the narration was very good and devided in nice chapters with particular focus. Some observations are very generic, other include curious examples of cases. And while it was informative, i loved that it highlighted how human kind is still at the very beginning of understanding how things work. As customer or side characters we might not like to hear that, but it is eeality and i loved how the text approached this.
July 4, 2024
read for ap bio summer reading but it honestly wasn't that bad and was pretty interesting at some points
August 15, 2024
26th book to celebrate entering my 26th year of life! Really well-researched and thoughtful book that answers the question of "Why do we have disease? with the answer "Because it helps our survival on the population level." By thinking about diseases like hemochromatosis and type 1 diabetes through the lens of adaptation to ancient environments, Moalem points out that we are part of a vast (and still unfolding) evolutionary story. Absolutely brilliant book!
September 27, 2015
Subtitle: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease. I've noticed that the word "maverick" now sounds phony to me. You can make your own guess as to why. Anyway, Dr. Moalem is here to explain why disease (and our genetic predisposition to it) works differently than we think. Specifically, Moalem seems to be fascinated with how disease has left metaphorical scar tissue on our DNA.
The most famous example of this is sickle-cell anemia. A little basic math indicates that it's a genetic condition that should have died out long ago. Two copies of the gene, and you're going to die before you can reach adulthood and pass on your genes. So, two parents who have one copy each will see about 25% of their children die from sickle-cell anemia. It shouldn't take very many generations of this before people without the gene should have been so much more successful in reproducing that they swamp the gene pool. The answer to this puzzle is that people with one copy of the gene are resistant to malaria. In some parts of Africa, malaria is so devastating that it's worth losing 25% of your kids if 50% of them get to be malaria resistant. This assumes, of course, that malaria has been around a long time, and that it is very, very lethal. Both of these are, sadly, quite true.
This is a story we've read about in many places. Moalem, however, takes the concept and runs with is, seeing how far it can be taken. How many odd genetic conditions, currently negative, can be explained as a reaction to something else? Odd conditions from hemachromotosis (accumulating too much iron in the system, but not in white blood cells) can help resistance to the Black Plague, Our genetic predisposition to retain a high cholesterol level can be explained by how much sun there was in the area our ancestors lived in. And so forth.
Is it convincing?
Well, some of it is. Sickle cell anemia is unlikely to be the only condition explained by a past selection pressure, like a disease (especially one as widespread and lethal as bubonic plague). It's worthwhile to have someone push this theory as far as it can go, to see what else it can explain.
Sometimes, however, I have to wonder how likely it is that all of these scenarios are true. How would you test them? For example, if the horrors of the conditions on board slave traders caused the descendants of those who survived to be especially susceptible to high sodium levels. It's true that many died on board slave ships, so there was the possibility of some genetic difference between those survivors and the average person from the West African populations they had been taken from. I'm not sure that retaining a high salt level is the most likely genetic trait that would increase the survival rate.
What is needed, is some (ethical) way to test these theories. There's a genetic condition, there's a possible circumstance in which it might have been advantageous. How do we test if the supposed advantage is big enough to compensate for the problems? Moalem doesn't always give a lot of evidence there.
More valuable (to a reader like me, if not to society generally) is the basic mindset that looks at each genetic problem and says, "what were the circumstances where this was a good thing?". If it's not so rare as to be explained by simple mutation (i.e. perhaps the person's parents didn't have this gene, it just came about by mutation in this generation), then there is some reason why it didn't die out. The human mind has a tendency to divide things into Good and Bad, and asking when and where the Bad would turn out to be Good is something that takes some practice. Moalem gives us plenty of it.
The most famous example of this is sickle-cell anemia. A little basic math indicates that it's a genetic condition that should have died out long ago. Two copies of the gene, and you're going to die before you can reach adulthood and pass on your genes. So, two parents who have one copy each will see about 25% of their children die from sickle-cell anemia. It shouldn't take very many generations of this before people without the gene should have been so much more successful in reproducing that they swamp the gene pool. The answer to this puzzle is that people with one copy of the gene are resistant to malaria. In some parts of Africa, malaria is so devastating that it's worth losing 25% of your kids if 50% of them get to be malaria resistant. This assumes, of course, that malaria has been around a long time, and that it is very, very lethal. Both of these are, sadly, quite true.
This is a story we've read about in many places. Moalem, however, takes the concept and runs with is, seeing how far it can be taken. How many odd genetic conditions, currently negative, can be explained as a reaction to something else? Odd conditions from hemachromotosis (accumulating too much iron in the system, but not in white blood cells) can help resistance to the Black Plague, Our genetic predisposition to retain a high cholesterol level can be explained by how much sun there was in the area our ancestors lived in. And so forth.
Is it convincing?
Well, some of it is. Sickle cell anemia is unlikely to be the only condition explained by a past selection pressure, like a disease (especially one as widespread and lethal as bubonic plague). It's worthwhile to have someone push this theory as far as it can go, to see what else it can explain.
Sometimes, however, I have to wonder how likely it is that all of these scenarios are true. How would you test them? For example, if the horrors of the conditions on board slave traders caused the descendants of those who survived to be especially susceptible to high sodium levels. It's true that many died on board slave ships, so there was the possibility of some genetic difference between those survivors and the average person from the West African populations they had been taken from. I'm not sure that retaining a high salt level is the most likely genetic trait that would increase the survival rate.
What is needed, is some (ethical) way to test these theories. There's a genetic condition, there's a possible circumstance in which it might have been advantageous. How do we test if the supposed advantage is big enough to compensate for the problems? Moalem doesn't always give a lot of evidence there.
More valuable (to a reader like me, if not to society generally) is the basic mindset that looks at each genetic problem and says, "what were the circumstances where this was a good thing?". If it's not so rare as to be explained by simple mutation (i.e. perhaps the person's parents didn't have this gene, it just came about by mutation in this generation), then there is some reason why it didn't die out. The human mind has a tendency to divide things into Good and Bad, and asking when and where the Bad would turn out to be Good is something that takes some practice. Moalem gives us plenty of it.
September 21, 2019
Ask the man on the street about evolution, and assuming he doesn鈥檛 connect it to Pokemon, he鈥檒l probably identify it as something that happened long ago. But creation is never finished, either underground where tectonic plates grind against one another, producing mountains, or above where endless forms most beautiful prowling around continue to change. We know this well from medicine, because the attempt to conquer a given disease is often frustrated by the sheer pace at which a given bacteria population can. But what if some illnesses continue to be pervasive because it鈥檚 beneficial to us? Such is the argument advanced by Sharon Moalem in this, one of the most interesting biology books I鈥檝e read in a while.
How can being susceptible to a disease help us? Diseases are often debilitating, sometimes confining the affected to bed 鈥� not exactly a place to take one鈥檚 stand in the eternal struggle for existence. But suppose a trait that warped cells ever so slightly 鈥� a bad thing, on the face of it 鈥� had the effect of preventing an invasive parasite from being able to use those cells, damning it to a death as soon as it had gotten a look around your circulatory system? So it is that sickle cell anemia, which only occurs when two people with those warped cells have a baby, persists in Africa and other places where malaria is common. More people survive malarial attacks than die from it because they鈥檙e in possession of those slightly warped cells. (Sickle-cell anemia results when two people with the affected cells have a child, and their child鈥檚 cells are so altered they slow the flow of blood.) Another sickness, in which cells horde iron to the point of poisoning their own bodies, is a similar adaptation against malarial infections鈥�.but unlike with sickle-cell anemia, those with hemochromatosis can find relief from their internal oxidation by donating blood. These genes persist because, given the odds, they鈥檙e more likely to help persons carrying them than to hurt them.
After exploring other cases like this, including a speculative argument that the European propensity for diabetes is an adaptation to the northern climes during the last glacial period, Moahem shifts an even more fascinating topic: methlyation, or the processed by which traits expressed by your genes can be turned off and on, or otherwise modulated, because of factors in the environment, both prenatal and postnatal. We encounter mammals who give birth to different colored offspring depending on how much light the mother is exposed to 鈥� allowing her to bear white babies in winter, when snow is on the ground, and brown ones during the summer. Human mothers鈥� environments also change them: when on a starvation diet, or when eating mostly nutrient-poor junk food, they give birth to small babies that grow up with horders鈥� metabolisms. Why this has happened is fairly easy to guess: children born in times of famine need to hold on to every scrap of spare glucose they can. Towards the end, Moalem shifts a little off topic to examine other environmental effects on our genes and their expressions, sharing the argument of some that human beings have been partially shaped by a maritime environment, driving our hairlessness and bipidalism.
Survival of the Sickest has been on my to-read list for many years now, and I鈥檓 extremely glad to have finally sat down and taken it on. It鈥檚 in the same vein as Randolph Nesse鈥檚 Good Reasons for Bad Feelings and Why We Get Sick, the former of which I plan on reading before too long.
How can being susceptible to a disease help us? Diseases are often debilitating, sometimes confining the affected to bed 鈥� not exactly a place to take one鈥檚 stand in the eternal struggle for existence. But suppose a trait that warped cells ever so slightly 鈥� a bad thing, on the face of it 鈥� had the effect of preventing an invasive parasite from being able to use those cells, damning it to a death as soon as it had gotten a look around your circulatory system? So it is that sickle cell anemia, which only occurs when two people with those warped cells have a baby, persists in Africa and other places where malaria is common. More people survive malarial attacks than die from it because they鈥檙e in possession of those slightly warped cells. (Sickle-cell anemia results when two people with the affected cells have a child, and their child鈥檚 cells are so altered they slow the flow of blood.) Another sickness, in which cells horde iron to the point of poisoning their own bodies, is a similar adaptation against malarial infections鈥�.but unlike with sickle-cell anemia, those with hemochromatosis can find relief from their internal oxidation by donating blood. These genes persist because, given the odds, they鈥檙e more likely to help persons carrying them than to hurt them.
After exploring other cases like this, including a speculative argument that the European propensity for diabetes is an adaptation to the northern climes during the last glacial period, Moahem shifts an even more fascinating topic: methlyation, or the processed by which traits expressed by your genes can be turned off and on, or otherwise modulated, because of factors in the environment, both prenatal and postnatal. We encounter mammals who give birth to different colored offspring depending on how much light the mother is exposed to 鈥� allowing her to bear white babies in winter, when snow is on the ground, and brown ones during the summer. Human mothers鈥� environments also change them: when on a starvation diet, or when eating mostly nutrient-poor junk food, they give birth to small babies that grow up with horders鈥� metabolisms. Why this has happened is fairly easy to guess: children born in times of famine need to hold on to every scrap of spare glucose they can. Towards the end, Moalem shifts a little off topic to examine other environmental effects on our genes and their expressions, sharing the argument of some that human beings have been partially shaped by a maritime environment, driving our hairlessness and bipidalism.
Survival of the Sickest has been on my to-read list for many years now, and I鈥檓 extremely glad to have finally sat down and taken it on. It鈥檚 in the same vein as Randolph Nesse鈥檚 Good Reasons for Bad Feelings and Why We Get Sick, the former of which I plan on reading before too long.
April 17, 2011
I wish Moalem would have taught my Genetics 101 class, he did a much better job than my professor. This is definitely more of a book to make you ooh and ahh, which is to say that its not very scientific.
Moalem would be shot dead by anyone who believed in logic. The man seems to love a good conspiracy, and he's great at telling them. I'm not saying that he's wrong all the time, but the way that this book could be written, in a less persuasive way, would be:
There's a 20% chance that A is true; A is true. That A leads to B is possible with a 12% confidence. B is true. A+B = C, with 4% confidence, but, well, we're already this far!, C must be true as well! And so on, down the alphabet. I gave up being annoyed just because the stories were actually really Scientific American!
Turn your brains off for this one, and enjoy. It's for the masses, not for science.
Moalem would be shot dead by anyone who believed in logic. The man seems to love a good conspiracy, and he's great at telling them. I'm not saying that he's wrong all the time, but the way that this book could be written, in a less persuasive way, would be:
There's a 20% chance that A is true; A is true. That A leads to B is possible with a 12% confidence. B is true. A+B = C, with 4% confidence, but, well, we're already this far!, C must be true as well! And so on, down the alphabet. I gave up being annoyed just because the stories were actually really Scientific American!
Turn your brains off for this one, and enjoy. It's for the masses, not for science.
November 6, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. So much so that I looked up other books by the same author. It's a very interesting topic, and written in a way that us laypeople can understand. If you have a background in biology of any kind you might find this elementary. As a person who narrowly failed 10th grade Biology, this was not an issue for me. If I had read this in 10th grade it might have made me more interested in the subject.
August 31, 2020
I had to read this for my summer work for AP bio. I really enjoyed it, as I love learning about evolution. This book shows amazing connections between diseases and our natural ecosystems, and analyzes relationships with microorganisms and other living things. I learned a lot and was compelled the whole time.
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