Riddled with Life : Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites That Make Us Who We Are

English

ISBN: 0156034689

EAN: 9780156034685

Category: Medical / Parasitology/Medical / Diseases/Nature / Ecology/Science / Life Sciences / Evolution/Science / Life Sciences / Biology / General/Medical / Pathology/

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Trade & Reference Publishers

Release Date: 01/14/2012

Synopsis: We treat disease as our enemy. Germs and infections are things we battle. But what if weve been giving them a bum rap? From the earliest days of life on earth, disease has evolved alongside us. And its presence isnt justnatural but is also essential to our health. Drawing on the latest research, Zuk answers a fascinating range of questions about disease: Why do men die younger than women? Why are we attracted to our mates? Why does the average male bird not have a penis? Why do we--as well as insects, birds, pigs, cows, goats, and even plants--get STDs? Why do we have sex at all, rather than simply splitting off copies of ourselves like certain geckos? And how is our obsession with cleanliness making us sicker? In this witty, engaging book, evolutionary biologist Zuk makes us rethink our instincts as she argues that disease is our partner, not our foe. Reconsider the fearsome parasite!

Excerpt: Unknown Property Excerpt

Riddled with Life : Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites That Make Us Who We Are

Illustrated: No

Format: Paperback

Height: 0.9 inches

Width: 5.31 inches

Length: 8.0 inches

Weight: 10.58 oz

Pages: 336