Human Biology & Related Topics

How well do you know your body? What happens under your skin? Where exactly is your stomach? What does your liver do? How can ears help your balance? The Body Atlas answers all these questions and many more. This unique visual guide reveals the innermost workings of the human bod...y. It approaches a body as if were a map, divided into continents (such as parts of the body) and countries (such as organs). You can see inside your body and examine it region by region - for example, the head and neck or the upper torso. These regions enclose vital structures, such as the brain, lungs, and heart, just as continents contain countries. Body systems such as the circulatory system (blood) and nervous system, link the body regions just like mountains and rivers range across countries. The detailed illustrations carefully pull back the layers of the body so you can see inside the hidden interior. All bones, muscles, and organs are clearly labelled with scientific and common names; and there are photos of parts you wouldn't normally be able to see, such as your vocal cords. Packed with amazing facts and illustrations, The Body Atlas takes you on a top-to-toe tour through your own anatomy. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, this book has been refreshed for a new generation of budding biologists and doctors-in-the-making.
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Break the rules, not the fast with world-renowned biohacker and New York Times bestselling author Dave Asprey.

The heart is our most important - and perhaps most mysterious - organ. Every day it pumps 9000 litres of blood and beats around 100,000 times. But the heart is more than just a pump. In all major human cultures, it is seen as the source of love, sympathy, joy, courage, strength a...nd wisdom. Why is this so? Having witnessed the extraordinary complexity and unpredictability of human hearts in the operating theatre - each one individual in its make-up, like a fingerprint - heart surgeon Reinhard Friedl went on a search for answers. He examined closely the latest findings in neurocardiology and psychocardiology, and in The Beat of Life he shares his discoveries. In the tradition of Giulia Enders' Gut and Norman Doidge's The Brain That Changes Itself, he uses riveting personal stories to illustrate the complex relationship between the heart, the brain and the psyche. The Beat of Life ends with a plea- that we recognise the heart's wisdom and adopt a more heart-centred way of living, which will lead to greater health.
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Why is the world the way it is? How did we get here? Does everything happen for a reason or are some things left to chance? Philosophers and theologians have pondered these questions for millennia, but startling scientific discoveries over the past half century are revealing that... we live in a world driven by chance. A Series of Fortunate Events tells the story of the awesome power of chance and how it is the surprising source of all the beauty and diversity in the living world. Like every other species, we humans are here by accident. But it is shocking just how many things-any of which might never have occurred-had to happen in certain ways for any of us to exist. From an extremely improbable asteroid impact, to the wild gyrations of the Ice Age, to invisible accidents in our parents' gonads, we are all here through an astonishing series of fortunate events. And chance continues to reign every day over the razor-thin line between our life and death. This is a relatively small book about a really big idea. It is also a spirited tale. Drawing inspiration from Monty Python, Kurt Vonnegut, and other great thinkers, and crafted by one of today's most accomplished science storytellers, A Series of Fortunate Events is an irresistibly entertaining and thought-provoking account of one of the most important but least appreciated facts of life. 'Fascinating and exhilarating - Sean B. Carroll at his very best.' - Bill Bryson, author of The Body: A Guide for Occupants 'Golf games, coincidental immunity, and pandemics: A Series of Fortunate Events ranges from examining trivial events to sobering ones, but remains relevant throughout, revealing how chance affects everyday life.' - Rebecca Foster, Foreword Reviews
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In the modern era, over just a handful of generations, human societies have altered almost beyond recognition. Other species adapt to their environments; we alone create ours. Our ability to do so has not only liberated much of the planet from plague and famine, but also reshaped... the human phenotype - the interaction between genes and environment that moulds our bodies and minds. Weaving together biology, social anthropology, epidemiology and history, Edwin Gale argues that we are the only species to have domesticated itself. But at what cost? Gale offers a timely and fascinating reminder that we are products of the world we have made.
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