Survival of the Sickest
A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease
by Sharon Moalem, Jonathan Prince
Why do genetic diseases survive the tests of natural selection? This is a perplexing question that is certainly
the topic of many debates within the biology world. It seems if the theory of natural selection in evolution held
true, then detrimental genetic diseases would have been weeded out long ago. What if somehow those diseases
incurred some unknown benefit? As we learn more about the molecular makeup of humans we’re finding this to be
more and more the case. Diseases like hemochromatosis, diabetes and sickle cell anemia fit into that category,
explaining why many of the problematic genetic diseases of today were actually genetic protectors in times past.
Why do cold viruses make you sick, but not too sick? Why doesn’t malaria follow the same course? How do
complex creatures evolve when these changes require numerous random mutations? Is there another process involved?
With each turn of the page, new questions arise as though the reader is experiencing decades of scientific
dilemma in fast forward. As each page turns, it becomes more obvious the more we know, the less we understand.
That’s just one of the many fascinating aspects of this book. Certainly, anyone with an interest in science,
biology and medicine will enjoy this book, eating it up like a delicious dessert. But the audience is not that
limited. It doesn’t require a scientific background to follow this book as the author does a great job of
explaining things in layman’s terms. This book will do for the biology world what Freakonomics has done
for the world of statistics. It’s intriguing, fascinating and highly entertaining. |
The Book |
HarperCollins Publishers |
January 2007 |
Hardcover |
ISBN10: 0060889659
ISBN13: 9780060889654 |
Misc Non-Fiction [medical] |
More at Amazon.com |
Excerpt |
NOTE: |
The Reviewer |
John Washburn |
Reviewed 2007 |
NOTE: Reviewer John Washburn
is the author of When Evil Prospers. |
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