"Engrossing ... [An] expedition through the hidden and sometimes horrifying microbial domain." -Wall Street Journal "Fascinating-and full of the kind of factoids you can't wait to share." -Scientific American Parasites can live only inside another animal and, as Kathleen McAuliffe reveals, these tiny organisms have many evolutionary motives for manipulating the behavior of their hosts. With astonishing precision, parasites can coax rats to approach cats, spiders to transform the patterns of their webs, and fish to draw ...
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"Engrossing ... [An] expedition through the hidden and sometimes horrifying microbial domain." -Wall Street Journal "Fascinating-and full of the kind of factoids you can't wait to share." -Scientific American Parasites can live only inside another animal and, as Kathleen McAuliffe reveals, these tiny organisms have many evolutionary motives for manipulating the behavior of their hosts. With astonishing precision, parasites can coax rats to approach cats, spiders to transform the patterns of their webs, and fish to draw the attention of birds that then swoop down to feast on them. We humans are hardly immune to their influence. Organisms we pick up from our own pets are strongly suspected of changing our personality traits and contributing to recklessness and impulsivity-even suicide. Germs that cause colds and the flu may alter our behavior even before symptoms become apparent. Parasites influence our species on the cultural level, too. Drawing on a huge body of research, McAuliffe argues that our dread of contamination is an evolved defense against parasites. The horror and revulsion we are programmed to feel when we come in contact with people who appear diseased or dirty helped pave the way for civilization, but may also be the basis for major divisions in societies that persist to this day. This Is Your Brain on Parasites is both a journey into cutting-edge science and a revelatory examination of what it means to be human. "If you've ever doubted the power of microbes to shape society and offer us a grander view of life, read on and find yourself duly impressed." -Heather Havrilesky, Bookforum
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Add this copy of This is Your Brain on Parasites: How Tiny Creatures to cart. $7.27, fair condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2017 by Mariner Books.
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Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 304 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 304 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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I have always been a lover of science and nature. I have a natural curiosity about the world around us and love to gain a better understanding of it when I can.
This book is nothing short of amazing. Astonishing. Astounding. It offers a radically challenging view of the world around us, presented through the lens of a microscope.
The book challenges conventional thinking about evolution, natural selection, biology, psychology, medicine, and even cultural anthropology. And weight loss.
Yes, it's that comprehensive. There were plenty of passages that were so astounding, I had to read them out loud and share them with my wife (I'm usually a solitary reader).
It offers new insights on what causes weight gain, schizophrenia, authoritarianism, collectivism, xenophobia, and more, while also providing a bewildering look at the complexity of the interaction of different species.
Evolutionary biologists are seeing things in a new light and I'm sure attentive Intelligent Design proponents will find plenty of ammunition here for dismissing some of Darwin's assumptions. Michael Behe might find plenty of support here for his theory of irreducible complexity. To be clear, McAuliffe presents none of these notions in the book. As a science writer, she hews to conventional Darwinian thinking, but can't help but show how these discoveries are sending many biologists back to the drawing board. We don't know what we thought we know about how species adapt and interact.
Anyway, it's an amazing book and should be required reading in several major scientific endeavors. I am hopeful that the lines of research presented here continue apace and bring humanity game-changing insights that will help advance health and well-being around the world.
