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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Human biology & related topics > General
"...Useful background information is displayed in blue boxes, and
good use is made of numerous tables and diagrams...a useful book
for the undergraduate medical or allied health professional..."
-Oncology News, May/June 2010 This forward looking cancer biology
book appeals to a wide ranging audience. Introductory chapters that
provide the molecular, cellular, and genetic information needed to
comprehend the material of the subsequent chapters bring unprepared
students up to speed for the rest of the book and serve as a useful
refresher for those with previous biology background. The second
set of chapters focuses on the main cancers in terms of risk
factors, diagnostic and treatment methods and relevant current
research. The final section encompasses the immune system's role in
the prevention and development of cancer and the impact that the
Human Genome Project will have on future approaches to cancer care.
While best suited to non-majors cancer biology courses, the depth
provided satisfies courses that combine both majors and non-majors.
Also, and deliberately, the authors have incorporated relevant
information on diagnosis and treatment options that lend appeal to
the lay reader.
'It's a brilliant book... There are lessons in every paragraph...
Get it now.' Chris Evans 'Wonderous and wild. I loved this book'
James Nestor, bestselling author of Breath 'Moving, raw and
unflinching' Julia Samuel, bestselling author of This Too Shall
Pass 'Incredible storytelling' Dr Rangan Chatterjee, bestselling
author of Feel Better in 5
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How do you carry on when things go deadly wrong? When Dr Rahul
Jandial operated on Karina, an eleven-year-old girl whose spinal
cord was splitting in two, he had to make an impossible decision.
He followed his head over his gut and Karina was left permanently
paralysed, altering both patient and surgeon's lives for ever. This
decision would haunt Rahul for decades, a constant reminder of the
fine line between saving and damaging a life. As one of the world's
leading brain surgeons, Rahul is the last hope for patients with
extreme forms of cancer. In treating them, he has observed humanity
at its most raw and most robust. He has journeyed to unimaginable
extremes with them, guiding them through the darkest moments of
their lives. Life on a Knife's Edge is Rahul's poetic and
beautifully written account of the resilience, courage and belief
he has witnessed in his patients, and the lessons about human
nature he has learned from them. It is about the impossible choices
he has to make, and the fateful consequences he is forced to live
with. From challenging the ethics of surgical practices, to helping
a patient with locked-in syndrome communicate her dying wish to her
family, Rahul shares his extraordinary experiences, revealing the
depths of a surgeon's psyche that is continuously pushed to its
limits.
Urban Evolutionary Biology fills an important knowledge gap on wild
organismal evolution in the urban environment, whilst offering a
novel exploration of the fast-growing new field of evolutionary
research. The growing rate of urbanization and the maturation of
urban study systems worldwide means interest in the urban
environment as an agent of evolutionary change is rapidly
increasing. We are presently witnessing the emergence of a new
field of research in evolutionary biology. Despite its rapid global
expansion, the urban environment has until now been a largely
neglected study site among evolutionary biologists. With its
conspicuously altered ecological dynamics, it stands in stark
contrast to the natural environments traditionally used as
cornerstones for evolutionary ecology research. Urbanization can
offer a great range of new opportunities to test for rapid
evolutionary processes as a consequence of human activity, both
because of replicate contexts for hypothesis testing, but also
because cities are characterized by an array of easily quantifiable
environmental axes of variation and thus testable agents of
selection. Thanks to a wide possible breadth of inference (in terms
of taxa) that may be studied, and a great variety of analytical
methods, urban evolution has the potential to stand at a
fascinating multi-disciplinary crossroad, enriching the field of
evolutionary biology with emergent yet incredibly potent new
research themes where the urban habitat is key. Urban Evolutionary
Biology is an advanced textbook suitable for graduate level
students as well as professional researchers studying the genetics,
evolutionary biology, and ecology of urban environments. It is also
highly relevant to urban ecologists and urban wildlife
practitioners.
Developmental Juvenile Osteology was created as a core reference
text to document the development of the entire human skeleton from
early embryonic life to adulthood. In the period since its first
publication there has been a resurgence of interest in the
developing skeleton, and the second edition of Developmental
Juvenile Osteology incorporates much of the key literature that has
been published in the intervening time. The main core of the text
persists by describing each individual component of the human
skeleton from its embryological origin through to its final adult
form. This systematic approach has been shown to assist the
processes of both identification and age estimation and acts as a
core source for the basic understanding of normal human skeletal
development. In addition to this core, new sections have been added
where there have been significant advances in the field.
This book uses evolution as the unifying theme to trace the connections between levels of biological complexity from genes through nervous systems, animal societies, and human cultures. It examines the history of evolutionary theory from Darwin to the present, including: the impact of molecular biology and the emergence of evolutionary social theory.
Few things come more naturally to us than sex-or so it would seem.
Yet to a chimpanzee, the sexual practices and customs we take for
granted would appear odd indeed. He or she might wonder why we
bother with inconveniences like clothes, why we prefer to make love
on a bed, and why we fuss so needlessly over privacy. Evolution and
Human Sexual Behavior invites us into the thought-experiment of
imagining human sex from the vantage point of our primate cousins,
in order to underscore the role of evolution in shaping all that
happens, biologically and behaviorally, when romantic passions are
aroused. Peter Gray and Justin Garcia provide an interdisciplinary
synthesis that draws on the latest discoveries in evolutionary
theory, genetics, neuroscience, comparative primate research, and
cross-cultural sexuality studies. They are our guides through an
exploration of the patterns and variations that exist in human
sexuality, in chapters covering topics ranging from the evolution
of sex differences and reproductive physiology to the origins of
sexual play, monogamous unions, and the facts and fictions
surrounding orgasm. Intended for generally curious readers of all
stripes, this up-to-date, one-volume survey of the evolutionary
science of human sexual behavior explains why sexuality has
remained a core fascination of human beings throughout time and
across cultures.
The birthplace of modern humans, Africa, has the highest genetic
diversity in the world, yet it remains vastly understudied. With
biomedical research increasingly focused on human variation,
studying the large population size and number of mutations in
African genomes could unravel the complexity of phenotypic traits
underlying the biology of our species and hold huge potential for
scientific and medical advances. An initial chapter 'conceptualizes
Africa', providing relevant terminology. The first section covers
genetic history and population structure. The next section looks at
the genetic basis of common infectious diseases, such as
leishmaniasis, malaria and tuberculosis, with a final part
considering common non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes,
hypertension, obesity, heart disease and cancer. Gene environment
interaction under globalization and the burden of diseases of
lifestyle are included. For researchers and graduate students in
biological anthropology, genetic anthropology, human and population
genetics, and public health.
Race, while drawn from the visual cues of human diversity, is an
idea with a measurable past, an identifiable present, and an
uncertain future. The concept of race has been at the center of
both triumphs and tragedies in American history and has had a
profound effect on the human experience. "Race Unmasked" revisits
the origins of commonly held beliefs about the scientific nature of
racial differences, examines the roots of the modern idea of race,
and explains why race continues to generate controversy as a tool
of classification even in our genomic age.
Through rigorous historical research, "Race Unmasked" reveals
how genetics and related biological disciplines formed and
preserved ideas of race and, at times, racism throughout the
twentieth century. Surveying the work of some of the twentieth
century's most notable scientists, the book tests and then proves
the limitations of a racial worldview. This new work is a gripping
history of science and scientists that throws the contours of our
current and evolving understanding of human diversity into sharp
relief.
Hylobatids (gibbons and siamangs) are the smallest of the apes
distinguished by their coordinated duets, territorial songs,
arm-swinging locomotion, and small family group sizes. Although
they are the most speciose of the apes boasting twenty species
living in eleven countries, ninety-five percent are critically
endangered or endangered according to the IUCN's Red List of
Threatened Species. Despite this, gibbons are often referred to as
being 'forgotten' in the shadow of their great ape cousins because
comparably they receive less research, funding and conservation
attention. This is only the third book since the 1980s devoted to
gibbons, and presents cutting-edge research covering a wide variety
of topics including hylobatid ecology, conservation, phylogenetics
and taxonomy. Written by gibbon researchers and practitioners from
across the world, the book discusses conservation challenges in the
Anthropocene and presents practice-based approaches and strategies
to save these singing, swinging apes from extinction.
A 'kluge' is an engineering term for a makeshift solution, an
inelegant construction that somehow works. This is Gary Marcus's
analogy for the way the human mind has evolved. Arguing against a
whole tradition that praises our human minds as the most perfect
result of evolution, Marcus shows how imperfect and ill-adapted our
brains really are. They have had to adapt from the environment of
our early hominid origins to a complex world in which our penchant
for short-term satisfactions is literally fatal. We are prone to
rages, addictions and other habits that limit our capacity for
rational action in every sphere, from food to politics. A
breathtaking, witty and revolutionary book.
"Congratulations on the purchase of this exclusive product,
tailor-made just for you. It will provide you with years of
continuous service." The brain is one of nature's most miraculous
but misunderstood creations. In this fascinating user-friendly
guide, you will discover all you need to know about what is
ceaselessly happening inside your head - from the 38 million
billion calculations the brain makes per second, to the complex
distribution of memory (there is no central storeroom for
information) and why love is an entirely neuronal experience. With
wit and style, Marco Magrini cuts through the noise of cerebral
misinformation to tell the real story of who you are and,
crucially, what you are capable of achieving. N.B. Product comes
with a 10-year warranty. T&Cs apply "A fantastically original
and clever way to popularise neuroscience." - Professor Gilberto
Corbellini, Philosophy of Science, La Sapienza University, Rome "In
these pages, Magrini describes beautifully, and often very
humorously, the extraordinary harvest of new neuroscientific
discoveries shedding light on the most complex and astonishing
thing in the universe itself." - Tomaso Poggio, MIT McGovern
Institute
As one of the world's leading brain surgeons, Dr Jandial is the
last hope for many patients who have extreme forms of cancer -
patients who can't be saved, but deserve more time. Life on a
Knife's Edge is his account of the resilience, courage and belief
he has witnessed in his patients, and the lessons he has learned
from them. Both an unflinching account of extreme surgeries and a
profound, moving and introspective memoir, this book reveals the
depths of a surgeon's psyche who is pushed to his limits, day in,
day out. From keeping a gun victim's heart pumping with his own
hand, to saving a woman from paralysis and performing brain surgery
while time is running out on a haemorrhaging patient, we see how
making life and death decisions and facing unimaginable pressure
has shaped one man's life. Now, he shares the many truths about
human nature that he has learned along the way: from how we deal
with trauma, loss and threat to our innate belief and sense of
self. From a life spent balancing on the line between life and
death, above all else he reveals what it really means to survive.
A highly entertaining book debunking the many myths about the human
body. Everything You Know About the Human Body is Wrong debunks the
scientific myths we all take for granted. Written by author Matt
Brown in his trademark humourous style, this book takes you through
all the facts we thought true, from bodily blunders, medical
mis-quotes and curious cures. Does giving kids sugar make them go
hyper-active? Not at all - there is no proven link! Is there such a
thing as being 'double-jointed'? And is it dangerous to swim after
eating? Covering everything from pseudoscience to recent research,
Everything You Know About the Human Body is Wrong shatters a range
of illusions we have accepted unquestioningly since childhood and
demystifies this most puzzling of subjects.
The main purpose of the book is to provide insight into an area
that humans often take for granted. There are wonderful and
exciting stories of organisms using chemical signals as a basis of
a sophisticated communication system. In many instances, chemical
signals can provide more detailed and accurate information than any
other mode of communication, yet this world is hidden from us
because of our focus on visual and auditory signals. Although we
have a diversity of senses available to us, humans are primarily
auditory and visual animals. These stimuli are sent to the more
cognitive areas of our brain where they are immediately processed
for information. We use sounds to communicate and music to excite
or soothe us. Our vision provides us with communication,
entertainment, and information about our world. Even though our
world is dominated by other stimulus energies, we have chosen, in
an evolutionary sense, either auditory or visual signals to carry
our most important information. This is not the case for most other
organisms. Chemical signals, mediated through the sense of smell
and taste, are typically more important and are used more often
than other sensory signals. The world of communication using
chemicals is an alien world for us. We are unaware of how important
chemical signals are to other organisms and we often overlook the
influence of chemical signals in our own life. Part of this naivete
about chemical signals is due to our cultural focus on visual and
auditory signals, but a larger part of our collective ignorance is
the lack of information about chemical communication in both
popular and scientific writings. The popular press and popular
writings virtually ignore the chemical senses, especially in regard
to their role or influence for humans and our human culture.
Academic books and textbooks are no better.
Written primarily for mid-to-upper level undergraduates, this
primer will introduce students to topics at the forefront of the
subject that are being applied to probe biological problems, or to
address the most pressing issues facing society. These topics will
include those that form the cornerstone of contemporary research,
helping students to make the transition to active researcher. This
primer provides an overview of the complex processes underpinning
cancer development and progression along with a summary of cancer
treatment strategies, emphasising the development of targeted
molecular therapies and the opportunities they provide. It takes a
contemporary and integrated approach, encompassing debates on
genetics, epigenetics, and cancer addictions, and highlighting the
remaining challenges and future research directions to advance the
field.
2013 Reprint of 1942 Edition. Full facsimile of the original
edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Walls'
classic text is a comprehensive treatise on the eye in which he
includes and correlates an immense amount of data on the anatomy
and physiology of the eye in relation to the various environments
in which it functions. The 689 pages of text are very readable,
appealing to the interests of the biologist, clinician or lay
reader, and constitute, therefore, a textbook on the eye. There are
197 illustrations throughout the book. Part one outlines the
essentials of the vertebrate (human) eye, the histology and
physiology of the vertebrate retina, and discusses scotopic and
photopic vision. To this is added an account of the embryological
and evolutionary genesis of the eye. Part two discusses the
following topics: adaptations to arhythmic activity as seen in
photomechanical retinal changes and in pupil mobility; adaptations
to diurnal activity; adaptations to nocturnal activity; adaptations
to space and motion; adaptations to media and substrates including
aquatic and aerial vision; and adaptations to photic quality
including color vision in animals, dermal color-changes, and
coloration of the eye. Part three traces the history of the eye
from the lowest to the highest living vertebrates. There is a
24-page bibliography and an index and glossary.
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