The Wild Life of Our Bodies: Predators, Parasites, and Partners That Shape Who We Are Today [Hardcover]
Author: Rob Dunn | Language: English | ISBN: 006180648X | Format: PDF, EPUB
The Wild Life of Our Bodies: Predators, Parasites, and Partners That Shape Who We Are Today
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“Anextraordinary book…. With clarity and charm [Dunn] takes the reader into theoverlap of medicine, ecology, and evolutionary biology to reveal an importantdomain of the human condition.” —EdwardO. Wilson, author of Anthill and The Future of Life
Books with free ebook downloads available The Wild Life of Our Bodies: Predators, Parasites, and Partners That Shape Who We Are Today [Hardcover] BiologistRob Dunn reveals the crucial influence that other species have upon our health,our well-being, and our world in The WildLife of Our Bodies—a fascinating tour through the hidden truths of natureand codependence. Dunn illuminates the nuanced, often imperceptible relationshipsthat exist between homo sapiens and other species, relationships that underpinhumanity’s ability to thrive and prosper in every circumstance. Readers ofMichael Pollan’s TheOmnivore’s Dilemma will be enthralled by Dunn’s powerful, lucid explorationof the role that humankind plays within the greater web of life on Earth.
- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: Harper; First Edition edition (June 21, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 006180648X
- ISBN-13: 978-0061806483
- Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #65 in Books > Textbooks > Science & Mathematics > Biology & Life Sciences > Ecology
- #66 in Books > Textbooks > Medicine & Health Sciences > Medicine > Basic Sciences > Microbiology
In full disclosure, as a blogger, I received an advanced copy of this book. I don't think, however, that that influences what I'm about to say:
The bottom line is that this is a rare book that I feel comfortable labeling a must-read. And I don't just mean in the Ecology, Health, or Evolution category. Across all categories, this is one of the most insightful and compelling books I have read. (I'm not just saying that; I actually keep a list of these things: [...]
It's a must-read because, in an eminently entertaining and understandable way, Rob Dunn provides a powerful framework for understanding who we are: (1) Our bodies' interactions with other species, and correspondingly (2) the inseparability of the human part of us from the non-human part of us; (3) the many ways that evolution shaped us and (4) the consequences of living modern lives; and (5) the previously unacknowledged genetic diversity that has big implications for medical practice and for which diets we respond to, and can even help explain social behavior.
For each of these points, I've included a quote to illustrate:
(1) "On our bodies are a kind of living wonderland. There are more bacterial cells on you right now than there ever were bison on the Great Plains, more microbial cells, in fact, than human cells. Each of those cells are tiny but perhaps consequential."
(2) "Major systems of our bodies, including our immune system, evolved to work best when other species lived on us. We are not simply hosts to other species; we live lives intimately linked to them, and even the boundaries between the simplest categories of "us" and "them" and "good" and "bad" are blurry to the tools we have so far."
(3) "The wild workings of our bodies influence who we are.
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