Based on 6 Google Books ratings
Survival of the Sickest
Book Details
Reading Info
About This Book
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. So why does disease exist? Moalem proposes that most common ailments—diabetes, hemochromatosis, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia—came into existence for very good reasons. At
Our Review
This medical detective story reveals how some of humanity's most persistent diseases actually evolved as survival advantages, turning conventional wisdom about illness upside down. Dr. Sharon Moalem explores why genetic conditions like sickle cell anemia provided protection against malaria, how hemochromatosis helped Europeans survive the plague, and why diabetes might have been an evolutionary adaptation to ice age conditions. The book connects these medical mysteries to broader ecological relationships with plants, animals, and microorganisms, showing how our bodies carry evolutionary compromises written in DNA.
What makes this exploration compelling is its ability to reframe "flaws" as historical solutions, blending evolutionary biology with medical detective work in accessible prose. Teen readers interested in biology and medicine will appreciate how it challenges assumptions about health and disease while providing scientific explanations for puzzling medical conditions. The book ultimately transforms how we understand our bodies' relationship to environmental pressures and genetic inheritance, making complex evolutionary concepts both personal and profound.
Themes
Subjects
Looking for more books?
Visit our sister site BooksbyOrder.com