Nutrition has become a hot topic, in the media as well at the market place. But how much of the information given to the consumer is hype and how much is accurate? In Taking the Fear out of Eating, published in 1993, two established scientists have distilled the information from thousands of scientific studies into a succinct, easily read description of what is known, what is merely suspected and, equally important, what is not known, about nutrition and how food choices might affect health. The book takes a hard look at both sides of the controversy about the connection between food and health, with particular emphasis on diet and the chronic diseases of cancer and heart disease. Food is, of course, essential to our survival but our food supply is often portrayed as dangerous - loaded with additives, pesticides, salt, sugar, fat and cholesterol. Taking the Fear out of Eating puts these topics into perspective in an authoritative and entertaining manner. It is not intended as a 'self-help' book but rather as a means to make the reader a participating partner with health professionals.

Nutrition has become a hot topic, in the media as well at the market place. But how much of the information given to the consumer is hype and how much is accurate? In Taking the Fear out of Eating, published in 1993, two established scientists have distilled the information from thousands of scientific studies into a succinct, easily read description of what is known, what is merely suspected and, equally important, what is not known, about nutrition and how food choices might affect health. The book takes a hard look at both sides of the controversy about the connection between food and health, with particular emphasis on diet and the chronic diseases of cancer and heart disease. Food is, of course, essential to our survival but our food supply is often portrayed as dangerous - loaded with additives, pesticides, salt, sugar, fat and cholesterol. Taking the Fear out of Eating puts these topics into perspective in an authoritative and entertaining manner. It is not intended as a 'self-help' book but rather as a means to make the reader a participating partner with health professionals.

'From your brain to your fingertips, you emerge from her book entertained and with a deeper understanding of yourself' Richard Dawkins 'A masterful account of why our bodies are the way they are . . . this book really shines . . . Roberts's lightness of touch is joyous, and celebratory' Observer 'Witty, personal and above all informed by passion and deep knowledge, this is the story of you, not just from conception onwards but from the millions of years of evolution that have shaped the way we are today' Adam Rutherford ***SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE*** Alice Roberts takes you on the most incredible journey, revealing your path from a single cell to a complex embryo to a living, breathing, thinking person. It's a story that connects us with our distant ancestors and an extraordinary, unlikely chain of events that shaped human development and left a mark on all of us. Alice Roberts uses the latest research to uncover the evolutionary history hidden in all of us, from the secrets found only in our embryos and genes - including why as embroyos we have what look like gills - to those visible in your anatomy. This is a tale of discovery, exploring why and how we have developed as we have. This is your story, told as never before.

When Did I Begin? investigates the theoretical, moral, and biological issues surrounding the debate over the beginning of human life. With the continuing controversy over the use of in vitro fertilization techniques and experimentation with human embryos, these issues have been forced into the arena of public debate. Following a detailed analysis of the history of the question, Reverend Ford argues that a human individual could not begin before definitive individuation occurs with the appearance of the primitive streak about two weeks after fertilization. This, he argues, is when it becomes finally known whether one or more human individuals are to form from a single egg. Thus, he questions the idea that the fertilized egg itself could be regarded as the beginning of the development of the human individual. The author also differs sharply, however, from those who would delay the beginning of the human person until the brain is formed, or until birth or the onset of conscious states.

Have you ever done something stupid, dangerous or self-sabotaging just to get one over someone else? Most of us have. Simon McCarthy-Jones draws on psychology, current affairs, literature and genetics to illuminate – whether we admit it or not – our spiteful side. What is that part of us that secretly wants our friends to fail? Did Americans put Trump in the White House just to stick it to Hillary Clinton? And then there are the legion of stories about toxic behaviour in supermarkets and over the privet hedge, ramping up to incendiary divorces, vicious business practices, backbiting politics and scorched-earth terrorism. There’s a hopeful message too – the upside of our dark side. Spite can drive us forward, and Simon provides a fresh perspective on the concept by showing the evolutionary benefits of spite as a social leveller, an enabler of defiance, a wellspring of freedom and a vital weapon in our everyday armoury.

The health of a population is most accurately reflected in the rate of growth of its children. It is this theme which underlies the analysis and presentation of what is by far the largest compilation of growth data ever assembled. The first edition, published in 1976, included all known reliable recent results on height, weight, skinfolds and other body measurements from all parts of the globe. In this edition, the very numerous measurements taken between 1976 and 1988 have been included as well as the results of the large number of new studies made on rate of maturation as evinced by bone age and pubertal development stages. Many sections of the book dwell on disentangling the effects of the environment and heredity on growth, and thus answer the question of whether one universal standard suffices for all peoples of the world, or whether different populations (such as races or nations) should each have their own optimal growth standards. Written by practical people with experience of the problems in developing countries, this book explains in simple terms the different sorts of growth surveys, how to set about making them, and which sort to choose. All who are professionally concerned with child health should read it.

The health of a population is most accurately reflected in the rate of growth of its children. This theme, prevalent in this book, underlies the analysis and presentation of what is by far the largest compilation of growth data ever assembled in one source. The first edition, published in 1976, included all known reliable recent results on height, weight, skinfolds, and other body measurements from all parts of the globe. In this edition, numerous subsequent measurements taken between 1976 and 1988 have been included, as well as the results of a large number of new studies made on rate of maturation as evinced by bone age and pubertal development stages. Many sections of the book dwell on disentangling the effects of the environment and heredity on growth, and attempt to answer the question of whether one universal standard suffices for all peoples of the world or whether different populations (such as races or nations) should each have their own optimal growth standards.

Fertility in animals reflects access to scarce resources, such as food and territory. In humans the situation is more complex. Patterns of breast feeding, contraception and ideas about age at marriage and desired family size all affect fertility. The relation between these and access to scarce resources such as housing and employment, via income, education and other factors which affect status, is explored in this book, which aims to bridge the gap between socioecology and population demography by showing how animals and humans adjust their fertility to environmental conditions.

Most philosophers writing about personal identity in recent years claim that what it takes for us to persist through time is a matter of psychology. In this groundbreaking new book, Eric Olson argues that such approaches face daunting problems, and he defends in their place a radically non-psychological account of personal identity. He defines human beings as biological organisms, and claims that no psychological relation is either sufficient or necessary for an organism to persist. Rejecting several famous thought experiments dealing with personal identity, he instead argues that one could survive the destruction of all of one's psychological contents and capabilities as long as the human organism remains alive.

This interdisciplinary work demonstrates, by steadfast attention to corporeal matters of fact, how the concept of power and of power relations is rooted in bodily life, in animate form. It first shows how Foucault's "optics of power" is Sartre's "The Look" writ large, and proceeds to explain how optics of power are undergirded by a "power of optics" which has its roots in our primate evolutionary heritage. The exploration of an evolutionary genealogy leads in turn into extended examinations and exemplifications of corporeal and intercorporeal archetypes. Moving easily through biological, anthropological and psychological domains, and informed by keen philosophical reflection, "The Roots of Power" aims to show how the personal and political are fundamentally joined in the body, that is, how the political defines us both as creatures of a natural history and as culturally - and individually - groomed bearers of meaning. Sheets-Johnstone assesses the complex of topics that progressively surfaces such as females' being receptive "year-round", male threat/female vulnerability, Sartre's characterisation of females' being "in the form of a hole", and proposed relationships between aggression and sex. In addition, she shows through detailed analyses of Derrida's absencing of the living body from the scene of grammatology, and of sociobiologists' explanations of rape as adaptive behaviour how the tenets of postmodernism and sociobiology preclude insight into the personal-political equation. "The Roots of Power" concludes with an extended critical meditation on Lacan's psychoanalytic, showing not only how it is rooted in idiosyncratic archetypal elaborations but how, in its scientisation of life, pedestalling of human language, and silencing of the living body, it is a microcosm of 20th-century Western practices and ideologies.

Evolutionary Medicine is based upon the view that many contemporary social, psychological, and physical illnesses are related to an incompatibility between current human lifestyles and environments and the conditions under which human biology developed. This book, featuring contributions from many of the leading workers in this developing area, provides a good introduction and overview to this emerging field.

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, has a long and multifaceted scientific history. In 1937, the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine was awarded to Albert Szent-Gyorgyi'in recognition of his discoveries concerning the biological oxida tion processes with special reference to vitamin C', and the Nobel Prize for Chemistry was shared by Sir Norman W. Haworth, who was the first to synthesize the vitamin. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant, and this action represented the theoretical basis for various lines of investigation on this molecule in which the potential role of ascorbic acid in the prevention and treatment of a series of dis eases, whose pathogenesis is linked to an excess of free radicals such as athero sclerosis and cancer, have been examined. These data have been analyzed in detail by experts in biochemistry, epidemi ology, and preventive and clinical medicine in the International Symposium Vitamin C, the state of the art in disease prevention sixty years after the Nobel Prize, held in Monte Carlo from October 31 to November 1, 1997, under the aus pices and the scientific endorsement of the Nutrition Foundation of Italy and with the financial support of Bracco SpA and Merck."

Praise for Howard Bloom and GLOBAL BRAIN

"With this bold vision of evolution and human behavior, Bloom has raced ahead to explore possibilities that the timid scientific herd may well be forced to follow."––David Sloan Wilson, Coauthor of Unto Others: The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior

"Filled with scientific firsts."––Elizabeth Loftus, past president, American Psychological Society

"I doubt there is any stronger intellect than Bloom’s on the planet."––Joseph Chilton Pierce

"A soaring song of songs about the amorous origins of the world and its almost medieval urge to copulate."––Kevin Kelly, Editor-at-Large, Wired

"A superbly written and totally original argument. . . . A must-read."––Robin Fox, coauthor of The Imperial Animal

"As someone who has spent forty years in psychology with a long-standing interest in evolution, I’ll just assimilate Howard Bloom’s accomplishment and my amazement."––David Smillie, Duke University

"Howard Bloom is next on a very short list that includes Darwin, Freud, Einstein, and Buckminster Fuller."––Richard Metzger

"Howard Bloom may be the new Stephen Hawking."––Aaron Hicklin, Gear

"You have not lived until you have interacted with Howard Bloom."––James Brody, organizer of the "Healing the Moral Animal" seminars

"Bloom’s concept of collective information processing may startle skeptical readers with its explanatory power."––Publishers Weekly

"I am awestruck."––Douglas Rushkoff, author of Media Virus, Coercion, and Ecstasy Club.

This book provides accurate concise information concerning the evaluation and the treatment of patients with sleep problems. Because management of sleep disorders requires an understanding of sleep itself, the first portion discribes aspects of normal sleep. The remainder of the book follows an approach based on the clinical method, in which the chief complaints (the symptoms and the signs) and the psychosocial and the medical background of the individual are used, in conjunction with an understanding of the neurobiological and psychological basis of sleep disorders, to formulate a clinical assessment. The results of polysomnographic studies and other laboratory tests supplement and redefine clinical information and assist with consideration of treatment options.

Male infertility is a clinician-orientied book aimed at the clinician dealing with the infertile couple because rational, effective management is only possible if the couple are considered together. The aim of the work is to provide advice to the clinician and to give reference to the underlying science. This will not only enable clinicians to understand the underlying science but will also give scientists an insight to clinical work. This blend of science and clinical work is reflected in the contributors who are experts drawn from both fields.

Scientists now understand that cancer is a genetic disease and cutting -edge molecular therapies are making their way from the laboratory into clinical practice. Introduction to Oncogenes and Molecular Cancer Medicine provides the physician with a solid understanding of molecular biology and its applications for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The book reviews the basic molecular principles and the basic principles of cancer medicine, including controls of cell growth and senescence, carcinogenesis, tumorogenesis, and epidemiology. The second part of the book gives clinical examples to demonstrate the basic science principles, including chapters on leukemia, colon cancer, and breast cancer. A chapter on molecular diagnostics and screening plus a chapter on new molecular anti-cancer therapies give the reader a look at current cutting-edge therapies as well as as the future of molecular cancer medicine. A useful glossary defines new terminology at-a-glance. Introduction to Oncogenes and Molecular Cancer Medicine is for all physicians seeking a better understanding of the modern molecular principles of cancer medicine. Written in a user-friendly, conversational format, this text will be welcomed by all physicians eager to sharpen their own understanding of molecular cancer medicine as well as to help them provide patients with balanced information on the advances and limitations of current treatment options.

Based on a two day symposium in the annual Society for the Study of Human Biology Ssymposium Series, this book covers a wide spectrum of growth physiology, and presents a state-of-art review of human auxology, from factors affecting cellular growth, through nutritional factors affecting the growth of the infant, to endocrine and other factors affecting the growth of the child before and after adolescence.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is one of the most important molecular biological methods ever devised, with numerous applications to cli- cal molecular medicine. Since its description in 1985, PCR has undergone tremendous improvements, and many variations on the basic PCR theme have been published. With such a large volume of PCR-related literature, a clinical scientist wishing to use the technique will have a difficult task loc- ing the relevant information to implement it effectively. There is thus clearly a need for an up-to-date volume with detailed protocols to facilitate the setting up of those techniques most relevant to clinical applications. Unlike some other books on this topic, Clinical Applications of PCR includes only methods that are of direct relevance in clinical settings. The book is organized in three parts: an introductory section, a section on general methodology, and a final section with specific clinical applications. The first section covers the basic principles of PCR and is most useful to those new to molecular diagnosis. The next chapter includes useful tips for setting up a PCR laboratory. Section 2 then outlines some of the most commonly used PCR-based techniques in molecular diagnosis. Section 3 includes carefully chosen examples that represent typical applications of PCR in diverse clinical fields, encompassing hematology, oncology, genetics, and microbiology.

The current explosive progress in molecular biological research can be definitively traced to the development of molecular cloning technology. The ability to insert specific gene sequences into cloning vectors and their subse quent expansion is the cornerstone of modem molecular biology. A direct practical outcome of molecular cloning technology is its application to ex press specific recombinant genes. Currently, recombinant gene products are used in a wide spectrum of applications, including gene therapy, production of bioactive pharmaceuticals, synthesis of novel biopolymers, in agriculture and animal husbandry, and so on. A fundamental requirement for successful recombinant gene expression is the design of the cloning vector and the choice of the host organism for expression. Recombinant Gene Expression Protocols grows out of the need for a laboratory manual that provides the reader the background and rationale, as well as the practical protocols for the preparation of "expression constructs" and their introduction into appropriate host cells and/or organisms. The chap ters in this book are grouped by their expression hosts, including E. coli, yeast, mammalian cells, nonmammalian eukaryotes such as plants, Xenopus, and insects, as well as in transgenic organisms. In-depth information is presented on the important characteristics of expression cloning vectors and the various methods for efficiently introducing expression constructs into target cells and/ or organisms. Throughout Recombinant Gene Expression Protocols, the authors have consistently striven for a balanced presentation of both background informa tion and actual laboratory details.

In recent years, unprecedented advances in many aspects of the molecular biology of nucleic acids have been witnessed. The area of RNA chemistry has undergone a kind of explosion, with a huge interest in RNA-mediated catalysis. At the same time, our structural understanding of DNA-protein interactions has increased enormously, and the related area of RNA-protein interactions is beginning to gather pace. This softcover edition from the successful series Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology is devoted to the structure and mechanism of ribozymes, and their potential exploitation. The subject has both important evolutionary implications and potential practical application in the development of therapeutic agents for diseases such as AIDS.

First published in 1987, this book is about the challenge posed by the unprecedented growth of the world's population and the response that has been made to that challenge by the United Nations and its system of agencies. It focuses in particular on the creation, in 1969, of the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) as the principal instrument for the United Nations' population programmes and on the work undertaken by the United Nations and its specialized agencies, including the World Bank, in this field. A substantial part of the book is devoted to discussing the actual achievements, in terms of demographic policies and falling birth rates, which have been realised in different parts of the developing world. At a time when there is a good deal of criticism of the United Nations and its agencies, this book makes it clear that here at least is one area where the world organization is continuing to make an important contribution towards the solution of the most important problem of our time.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Visualization in Biomedical Computing, VBC '96, held in Hamburg, Germany, in September 1996.
The 73 revised full papers presented were selected from a total of 232 submissions. The book reports the state of the art in the field of computer based visualization in medicine and biology. The papers are organized in sections on visualization; image processing; segmentation; registration; brain: description of shape; brain: characterization of pathology; brain: visualization of function; simulation of surgery and endoscopy; image guided surgery and endoscopy.

This volume considers the genetic variability of human populations, particularly in the tropics: its origins and maintenance, and its contribution to the phenotypic variability of complex characters. The first section deals with the ways of analysing genetic variation and provides a valuable review of relevant developments in molecular biology. The origin and maintenance of genetic diversity is considered in the second section with data presented for Pacific, African, Asian and Central American populations. The final section concerns characters in which the genetic contribution to variability is complex and shows how such characters may be used to elucidate biological problems of affinity and differentiation, of adaptation and survival. Published as part of the Decade of the Tropics research programme of the International Union of Biological Sciences, this volume will be of particular interest to human geneticists, physical and biological anthropologists.

Surnames are inherited in much the same way as are biological traits. Since surnames were generally adopted - in Europe during Medieval times - their distribution has become very uneven: analysis of the present geographic patterns provides an insight into the kind of redistribution of genes that has resulted from all the migrations of the intervening years. Using non-technical language and a minimum of mathematics, this book presents a lucid description and evaluation of these studies of the genetic structure of human populations. A special feature is the appendix which presents computer-generated maps and distribution diagrams of 100 common surnames in England and Wales.