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Title details for Evolution Gone Wrong by Alex Bezzerides - Available

Evolution Gone Wrong

The Curious Reasons Why Our Bodies Work (Or Don't)

by Alex Bezzerides
ebook
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"An unforgettable journey through this twisted miracle of evolution we call 'our body.'" —Spike Carlsen, author of A Walk Around the Block
From blurry vision to crooked teeth, ACLs that tear at alarming rates and spines that seem to spend a lifetime falling apart, it's a curious thing that human beings have beaten the odds as a species.
After all, we're the only survivors on our branch of the tree of life. The flaws in our makeup raise more than a few questions, and this detailed foray into the many twists and turns of our ancestral past includes no shortage of curiosity and humor to find the answers.
Why is it that human mothers have such a life-endangering experience giving birth? Why are there entire medical specialties for teeth and feet? And why is it that human babies can't even hold their heads up, but horses are trotting around minutes after they're born?
In this funny, wide-ranging and often surprising book, biologist Alex Bezzerides tells us just where we inherited our adaptable, achy, brilliant bodies in the process of evolution.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 18, 2021

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781488075858

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781488075858
      • File size: 14980 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Booklist

      May 1, 2021
      Biologist Bezzerides speculates about why evolution would select for anatomical imperfections and possible problems for the human body. The size of the human jaw has been shrinking since the origin of our species, and increasingly, teeth don't fit quite right (hence the need for braces or extraction of wisdom teeth). Walking on just two feet (bipedalism) was a major milestone for our early ancestors, but our modern musculoskeletal system now pays a price with knees prone to injury, low-back pain, and changes to our feet that have left them less flexible. The anatomic proximity of the esophagus and trachea creates a risk of choking. Bezzerides contends that evolution has in some ways been ""error-prone"" in regard to the design of the human body. Fair enough. But evolution is a process that plays out over very long periods of time, and we're not finished evolving. Bezzerides observes that anatomic, behavioral, and physiologic ""trade-offs"" are part of how it does business. And evolution can hardly be blamed for cultural influences adversely affecting the body, such as staring at screens nonstop.

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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