Evolution gone wrong : the curious reasons why our bodies work (or don't) Cover Image

Book

Evolution gone wrong : the curious reasons why our bodies work (or don't) / Alex Bezzerides ; with illustrations by Peter Davidson.

Summary:

"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." -- Page [4] of cover.

Record details

ISBN: 9781335690050
ISBN: 1335690050
Physical Description: xvii, 364 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Publisher: Toronto, Ontario, Canada : Hanover Square Press, [2021]
Copyright: ©2021

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 333-354) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Introduction: It's not your fault -- Part one: It's all in your head. Mastodon stew ; The fish-eye lens ; Down the hatch -- Part two: Achy-breaky parts. Two snakes a day ; The honey holiday ; Baby got back...pain -- Part three: Bundles of joy. To bleed or not to bleed ; Absence makes the heart grow fonder...and the penis thrust more deeply ; The greatest pain of all -- Conclusion: A whale in the water.