From the gene that causes people to age prematurely to the "bitter gene" that may spawn broccoli haters, this book explores a few of the more exotic locales on the human genome, highlighting some of the tragic and bizarre ways our bodies go wrong when genes fall prey to mutation and the curious ways in which genes have evolved for our survival.
Lisa Seachrist Chiu has a smorgasbord of stories to tell about rare and not so rare genetic quirks. We read about the Dracula Gene, a mutation in zebra fish that causes blood cells to explode on contact with light, and suites of genes that also influence behavior and physical characteristics; the Tangier Island Gene, first discovered after physicians discovered a boy with orange tonsils (scientists now realize that the child's odd condition comes from an inability to process cholesterol); and Wilson's Disease, a gene defect that fails to clear copper from the body, which can trigger schizophrenia and other neurological symptoms, and can be fatal if left untreated. Friendlier mutations include the Myostatin gene, which allows muscles to become much larger than usual and enhances strength and the much-envied Cheeseburger Gene, which allows a lucky few to eat virtually anything they want and remain razor thin.
While fascinating us with stories of genetic peculiarities, Chiu also manages to effortlessly explain much of the cutting-edge research in modern genetics, resulting in a book that is both informative and entertaining. It is a must read for everyone who loves popular science or is curious about the human body.

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.

Dieses Skriptum gibt einen umfassenden Ein- und Uberblick uber die pathophysiologischen Prinzipien als Basis fur Klinik, Diagnostik und Therapien von Erkrankungen des Gastrointestinaltraktes. Zudem geht die Autorin ausfuhrlich auf die Beteiligung des mukosalen Immunsystems ein, wobei auch basale Prinzipien der Allergologie und Immunologie verstandlich prasentiert werden. Besonderer Wert wurde auf die anschaulichen Illustrationen gelegt, die fast selbsterklarend, durch weiter ausfuhrende Texte erganzt sind. Das Skriptum ist abgestimmt auf die Vorlesungs- und Prufungsinhalte des Faches "Funktionelle Pathologie." Daruber hinaus stellt es eine nutzliche Erganzung zum "Block 13: Ernahrung und Verdauung" des neuen Medizincurriculums dar, sowie fur die Dr.med.sci und Ph.D. Studienprogramme der Medizinischen Universitat Wien. Aber auch StudentInnen anderer Disziplinen, wie etwa Biologie oder Ernahrungswissenschaften, sowie DiatassistentInnen werden darin fundig werden."

This report aims to offer glimpses of the human condition on Naxos island, Greece, focusing on the archaeoanthropologic study of the human skeletal remains along with associated contexts of faunal materials recovered from the Geometric (9th -7th c BC) component of the burial ground site of Plithos in Chora at Naxos island.

Der rasch zunehmende Wissensstand auf dem Gebiet der angeborenen, unspezi- schen Immunitat wird laufend in einer Vielfalt ausgezeichneter Monographien fest- halten, in denen hervorragende Wissenschafter ihr Fachgebiet zusammenfassen und eigene Forschungsergebnisse prasentieren. Diese Sammelwerke setzen indessen zu ihrem Verstandnis ein so hohes Mass an Spezialkenntnissen voraus, dass sie einem - dizinisch-biologischen Standardwissen kaum zuganglich sind. Lehrmaterial, das die Grundlagen zu diesem Gebiet der Immunologie zusammenhangend vermittelt, fehlt hingegen zur Ganze. Das vorliegende Buch soll diese Lucke schliessen. Ein Autor, der sich die Aufgabe stellt, das Basiswissen uber die Unspezi? sche - munitat und ihre Bedeutung in der modernen Medizin zu formulieren und in ein - schlossenes Lehrkonzept zu fassen, sieht sich vor allem drei grundsatzlichen Fragen gegenuber: an wen sind die Inhalte gerichtet, welches Wissen wird vorausgesetzt, und welcher Wissensstand soll erreicht werden? Zielgruppen dieser Darstellung sind Studierende der Heilfacher Medizin, Phar- kologie und Pharmazie, aber auch solche der Biologie, Biochemie, Molekularbiologie und Mikrobiologie, die ein ubergreifendes Wissen zur Medizin anstreben. Daruber hinaus mag das Buch auch fur Postgraduierte von Nutzen sein, die ihr Wissen auff- schen wollen und einen leicht fassbaren Ubergang zu schwierigen Problemstellungen in Klinik und Forschung suchen. Vorausgesetzt werden Kenntnisse, wie sie an Universitaten in den theoretischen Grundsemestern biowissenschaftlicher Studienrichtungen vermittelt werden."

Immunology: A Comparative Approach discusses the immunological features of a wide range of living organisms. It considers the merits of the laboratory mouse as an immunological representative; opportunities for bypassing technical obstacles in one model by using another; the immunological implications of changes in overall structure, physiology and way of life; and progress made in the study of defence mechanisms in animals and plants of commercial importance. This book is written for students and research workers with some knowledge of mainstream immunology who are curious about the advances, opportunities and challenges in comparative work.

What makes us human? Why do people think, feel, and act as they do? What is the essence of human nature? What is the basic relationship between the individual and society? These questions have fascinated both great thinkers and ordinary humans for centuries. Now, at last, there is a solid basis for answering them, in the form of the accumulated efforts and studies by thousands of psychology researchers. We no longer have to rely on navel-gazing and speculation to understand why people are the way they are - we can instead turn to solid, objective findings. This book, by an eminent social psychologist at the peak of his career, not only summarizes what we know about people - it also offers a coherent, easy-to-understand, through radical, explanation. Turning conventional wisdom on its head, the author argues that culture shaped human evolution. Contrary to theories that depict the individual's relation to society as one of victimization, endless malleability, or just a square peg in a round hole, he proposes that the individual human being is designed by nature to be part of society. Moreover, he argues that we need to briefly set aside the endless study of cultural differences to look at what most cultures have in common - because that holds the key to human nature. Culture is in our genes, although cultural differences may not be. This core theme is further developed by a powerful tour through the main dimensions of human psychology. What do people want? How do people think? How do emotions operate? How do people behave? And how do they interact with each other? The answers are often surprising, and along the way the author explains how human desire, thought, feeling, and action are connected.

John Dupre explores recent revolutionary developments in biology and considers their relevance for our understanding of human nature and human society. Epigenetics and related areas of molecular biology have eroded the exceptional status of the gene and presented the genome as fully interactive with the rest of the cell. Developmental systems theory provides a space for a vision of evolution that takes full account of the fundamental importance of developmental processes. Dupre shows the importance of microbiology for a proper understanding of the living world, and reveals how it subverts such basic biological assumptions as the organisation of biological kinds on a branching tree of life, and the simple traditional conception of the biological organism. These topics are considered in the context of a view of science as realistically grounded in the natural order, but at the same time as pluralistic and inextricably integrated within a social and normative context. The volume includes a section that recapitulates and expands some of the author's general views on science; a section addressing a range of topics in biology, including the significance of genomics, the nature of the organism and the current status of evolutionary theory; and a section exploring some implications of contemporary biology for humans, for example on the reality or unreality of human races, and the plasticity of human nature.

La fibra alimentare e la parte edibile degli alimenti che resiste agli enzimi digestivi.

Il ruolo della fibra alimentare nella dieta e stato rivalutato in questi ultimi anni, soprattutto per i possibili effetti sulle funzioni intestinali, motilita e secrezione e sul metabolismo glucidico e lipidico.

Integrazioni di psillio, ma anche di gomme quali guar e caraja determinano un effetto lassativo, ipoglicemizzante ed ipocolesterolemizzante piu pronto. Tuttavia, la fibra alimentare puo garantire un beneficio piu complesso perche negli alimenti si accompagna a sostanze (bioflavonoidi, carotenoidi, fitoestrogeni, ecc.) importanti per il mantenimento dello stato di salute. Scopo del volume, corredato da numerose figure e tabelle che illustrano i concetti trattati, e di aiutare i lettori a comprendere meglio il ruolo che la fibra svolge nella costipazione cronica e in altri disturbi, come l'ipercolesterolemia e l'obesita.

This volume represents work by five distinguished ecological geneticists, offering an up-to-date source for theoretical concepts and experiments in an exciting field. Combining ecological fieldwork and laboratory genetics, ecological genetics examines the adjustments and adaptations of wild populations to their environments. Articles focus on important interactions between genetics and population ecology, delving into issues like gene flow and migration, population differentiation, the maintenance of genetic variation, and the demographic and spatial structure of populations. The contributors--Janis Antonovics, Michael Lynch, Montgomery Slatkin, Joseph Travis, and Sara Via--emphasize the importance of population size and structure, interaction between local selection and genetic drift, and an expanded phenotype including quantitative as well as qualitative characters. This new form of ecological genetics focuses on large-scale geographic variation in demographic and genetic dynamics among small, partially isolated populations and will prove extremely valuable in natural resource management and in rare or endangered species conservation. Originally published in 1994. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

For many years, de Waal has observed chimpanzees soothe distressed neighbors and bonobos share their food. Now he delivers fascinating fresh evidence for the seeds of ethical behavior in primate societies that further cements the case for the biological origins of human fairness. Interweaving vivid tales from the animal kingdom with thoughtful philosophical analysis, de Waal seeks a bottom-up explanation of morality that emphasizes our connection with animals. In doing so, de Waal explores for the first time the implications of his work for our understanding of modern religion. Whatever the role of religious moral imperatives, he sees it as a Johnny-come-lately role that emerged only as an addition to our natural instincts for cooperation and empathy.

But unlike the dogmatic neo-atheist of his book s title, de Waal does not scorn religion per se. Instead, he draws on the long tradition of humanism exemplified by the painter Hieronymus Bosch and asks reflective readers to consider these issues from a positive perspective: What role, if any, does religion play for a well-functioning society today? And where can believers and nonbelievers alike find the inspiration to lead a good life?

Rich with cultural references and anecdotes of primate behavior, The Bonobo and the Atheist engagingly builds a unique argument grounded in evolutionary biology and moral philosophy. Ever a pioneering thinker, de Waal delivers a heartening and inclusive new perspective on human nature and our struggle to find purpose in our lives."

Die haptische Wahrnehmung ist von elementarer Bedeutung fur die Planung, Steuerung und Ausfuhrung alltaglicher Handlungen. Diese dem Tastsinn zugeordnete Wahrnehmungsform findet immer groessere Beachtung. Mit aktuellen Ergebnissen aus interdisziplinarer Forschung und Praxis dokumentiert das Buch das zunehmende Interesse an diesem vielseitigen Forschungsgebiet. Nach einer erkenntnistheoretischen und historischen Einfuhrung widmen sich drei Kapitel neurophysiologischen Grundlagen sowie psychologischen und klinisch-neuropsychologischen Aspekten der haptischen Wahrnehmung. Vielfaltige Beispiele unter anderem aus der Automobil- und Lebensmittelindustrie sowie der Raumfahrt verdeutlichen den praktischen Nutzen der dargestellten Erkenntnisse. Das gut verstandliche Buch gewahrt Fachkundigen und Studenten, aber auch interessierten Laien einen Einblick in dieses faszinierende Wissensgebiet, das stets neue Herausforderungen entdeckt und innovative Loesungen prasentiert.

From the author of the groundbreaking New York Times bestseller The Female Brain, here is the eagerly awaited follow-up book that demystifies the puzzling male brain.

Dr. Louann Brizendine, the founder of the first clinic in the country to study gender differences in brain, behavior, and hormones, turns her attention to the male brain, showing how, through every phase of life, the "male reality" is fundamentally different from the female one. Exploring the latest breakthroughs in male psychology and neurology with her trademark accessibility and candor, she reveals that the male brain:

• is a lean, mean, problem-solving machine. Faced with a personal problem, a man will use his analytical brain structures, not his emotional ones, to find a solution.
• thrives under competition, instinctively plays rough and is obsessed with rank and hierarchy.
• has an area for sexual pursuit that is 2.5 times larger than the female brain, consuming him with sexual fantasies about female body parts.
• experiences such a massive increase in testosterone at puberty that he perceive others' faces to be more aggressive.

The Male Brain finally overturns the stereotypes. Impeccably researched and at the cutting edge of scientific knowledge, this is a book that every man, and especially every woman bedeviled by a man, will need to own.

BuchhAndlertext: Das Buch fA1/4hrt in die physikalischen Grundlagen der medizinischen Physik ein. Die reine Physik wird systematisch dargestellt; die Physik der KArperfunktionen, der medizinisch-physikalischen MeA- und Behandlungsverfahren der Klinik, der Wechselwirkung der verschiedenen physikalischen GrAAen mit dem KArper und der UnfallverhA1/4tung wird A1/4berwiegend in Form von Beispielen prAsentiert.

Das umstrittene Forschungsgebiet der Gentechnologie bildet eines der Hauptthemen des funften Bandes dieser Buchreihe. Transgene Tiere und in vitro-Methoden im Bereich der Gentechnologie werden ebenso erortert und zur Diskussion gestellt wie die damit zusammenhangenden Probleme im Bereich von Recht und Ethik. Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt setzt sich mit den Moglichkeiten der Prufung von Biomaterialien mit in vitro-Methoden auseinander. Verschiedene Prufstrategien werden vorgestellt und analysiert. Ein Fixbestandteil dieser Buchreihe ist das juristische Kapitel. In diesem Band beschaftigen sich die Autoren schwerpunktmassig mit der Umsetzung von EU-Recht. Welche Entwicklungen wird es auf dem Gebiet der Tierversuche geben? Wie entwickelt sich der Tierschutz? Gibt es in Unternehmen tierschutzpolitische Zukunftsstrategien? Diese und andere Fragen versucht das Kapitel "Tierschutz und Tierversuche - Entwicklungen und Trends" zu beantworten bzw. zur allgemeinen Diskussion zu stellen. Den Abschluss bildet das Kapitel "Kosmetika und Tierversuche." Hier erfolgt eine zum Teil ausserst unterschiedliche Darstellung uber die Moglichkeiten, auf Tierversuche im Bereich der EU verzichten zu konnen oder auch nicht."

From the temptation of Eve to the venomous murder of the mighty Thor, the serpent appears throughout time and cultures as a figure of mischief and misery. The worldwide prominence of snakes in religion, myth, and folklore underscores our deep connection to the serpent but why, when so few of us have firsthand experience? The surprising answer, this book suggests, lies in the singular impact of snakes on primate evolution. Predation pressure from snakes, Lynne Isbell tells us, is ultimately responsible for the superior vision and large brains of primates and for a critical aspect of human evolution.

Drawing on extensive research, Isbell further speculates how snakes could have influenced the development of a distinctively human behavior: our ability to point for the purpose of directing attention. A social activity (no one points when alone) dependent on fast and accurate localization, pointing would have reduced deadly snake bites among our hominin ancestors. It might have also figured in later human behavior: snakes, this book eloquently argues, may well have given bipedal hominins, already equipped with a non-human primate communication system, the evolutionary nudge to point to communicate for social good, a critical step toward the evolution of language, and all that followed.

In dieser interdisziplinAren Arbeit auf dem Gebiet der Hirnforschung wird der Beziehung von EEG und Begabung bzw. Ausbildung im Bereich der Bildenden Kunst zum ersten Mal nachgegangen: Wie wird das Betrachten eines Bildes im Gehirn analysiert? HAngen Sehen und Verstehen zusammen? Wie kommt es zur Bildung einer inneren Gestalt in den entsprechenden Regionen des Gehirns? Die Untersuchungen der cerebralen Verarbeitung bei visuellen VorgAngen (Wahrnehmen, Vorstellen, Bild-Entwerfen) an insgesamt 38 Malerinnen und Nicht-Malerinnen stellen einen wesentlichen Beitrag zur KlArung der in der Literatur kontroversiell diskutierten HemisphAren-Spezialisierung dar. WAhrend eine wesentliche Region fA1/4r die Gestalt-Findung bei Nicht-KA1/4nstlerinnen linkshemisphArisch reprAsentiert ist, ist ein Indikator der Begabung bei Malerinnen rechtshemisphArisch zu finden. Die Ergebnisse lassen darauf schlieAen, daA die Integration visueller Items Malerinnen wesentlich besser gelingt als Nicht-Malerinnen.

Der vierte Band der Reihe beinhaltet eine interdisziplinare Darstellung des aktuellen Forschungsstandes. Die Gebiete Neurotoxikologie und Reproduktionstoxikologie zahlen ebenso wie die Onkologie zu den Schwerpunkten dieses Buches. Umfassend eroertert werden auch Stand und Perspektiven des Wissenschaftsgebietes Biometrie. Dabei handelt es sich um einen Bereich, dem bislang zu wenig Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt wurde. Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt dieses Buches ist der wissenschaftliche Dauerbrenner Immunisierung und Adjuvantien. Alternativen zu Freunds komplettem Adjuvans werden ebenso vorgestellt und bewertet wie Erfahrungen bei der Produktion mono- bzw. polyklonaler Antikoerper. Aufgrund der bevorstehenden, gravierenden Rechtsanderungen auf europaischer Ebene verdient das Kapitel Toxikologische Prufung von Kosmetika in der EU besondere Beachtung. Einerseits werden Moeglichkeiten und Grenzen alternativer Teststrategien zur Diskussion gestellt, andererseits werden ausgewahlte, zukunftstrachtige, alternative Untersuchungsmodelle dem Leser naher gebracht. Abschliessendes Kapitel ist auch in diesem Buch wieder der Bereich Recht und Ethik. Gerichtsverfahren in Deutschland, Diskussionen uber nationales Recht und EU-Recht und die starker werdende Sensibilisierung fur ethische Belange haben neue Fragen aufgeworfen, die beantwortet werden wollen.

The new edition covers recent concepts in cell growth inhibitors. This book also contains the latest information on genes and the human genome. The sections on the growth of the CNS and on reproduction and infertility have been revised in line with current thinking. The references have been fully updated and boxed further reading has been added. Key points are highlighted throughout, and there are a number of new illustrations.

A full-color illustrated exploration of the body in motion during yoga practice * Examines anatomical patterns and body mechanics in specific asanas, such as forward bends, twists, external hip rotations, arm balances, and back bends, to inspire confidence in students, deepen practice, and prevent injury * Provides detailed images and photos overlaid with anatomical diagrams, allowing you to see clearly what is happening within each asana discussed * Explores how various yoga postures interrelate from the perspective of functional anatomy In this full-color illustrated guide, David Keil brings the anatomy of the body in yoga asanas to life. Writing in an accessible, conversational tone, he outlines how practitioners and yoga teachers alike can utilize a deeper understanding of their anatomy and its movement and function to deepen their yoga practice, increase confidence, prevent injury, and better understand their students and their challenges. Providing detailed images and photos overlaid with anatomical diagrams, allowing you to see clearly what is happening within each asana discussed, Keil shows how the muscles, joints, tendons, and structure of the body work together to support integrated movement. He discusses the basics of functional anatomy, exploring the workings of the foot and ankle, the knee, the hip joint, the pelvis and SI joint, the spine, the shoulder, and the hand, wrist, and elbow. He examines anatomical patterns and body mechanics in specific asanas, such as forward bends, twists, external hip rotations, arm balances, and back bends, such as, for example, how a wide-legged forward bend shifts the position of the femur and the pelvis, allowing students with tight hamstrings to accomplish a deep forward bend--something they struggle with when the legs are together. Keil also shows how various yoga postures interrelate from the perspective of functional anatomy. Revealing in detail how everything in the body is connected and how your anatomy functions holistically during yoga practice, this book helps you to understand the body better and connect and integrate yoga postures in a completely new way.