Riddled with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites That Make Us Who We Are

Book Description

We think of disease as our enemy, something we try to eradicate; germs and infections are things we battle. But in this witty, engaging book, evolutionary biologist Marlene Zuk reveals that, in fact, disease is our partner, not our foe, and is responsible for everything from how we look to how we have sex.

Since the earliest days of life on earth, disease has evolved alongside us. Drawing on the latest research and studies, Zuk explains the role of disease in answering a fascinating range of questions such as: Why do men die younger than women? Why does the average male bird not have a penis? Why do we—and lots of other animals—get STDs? How is our obsession with cleanliness making us sicker? And how can parasites sometimes make us well?

Using her own work on sexual selection as well as a sampling of stories from the natural world, Zuk makes us reconsider the fearsome parasite.

Customer Reviews:

Good Subject--Bad Editing.......2007-07-18

I'm giving this book 3 starts because it has some very fascinating content and the nature of the research should be better understood by everyone. We need to know that there is a serious risk to public health at hand due to the wide spread misuse of antibiotics. So read it! It's important! This review is just warning you that it may take some effort.

To Ms. Zuk and her editors: "Read the 'Accidental Mind' by Dr. Linden before you publish your next 'accessible to the public" science book. Note how you can be clear, concise, and still have a sense of humor. I really got the feeling that no one actually read your book through (while paying attention) before it went to press. You can do better."

Riddled with Life.......2007-07-12

Great read!! I grew up in tropical regions of Latin America where parasites were always considered an enemy to be avoided. It wasn't until I read this book that I realized that not only could I NOT avoid them but in fact I NEEDED them for my very existence! This book is suitably researched and scientific to satisfy any skeptic. It is WONDERFULLY humorous throughout. It is informative as can be. Any layman, even without scientific training, will find this book highly informative, fun, and well worth the read. OK, there are a few passages that bog down a bit, but they are few and far between. The rest is just great. I'm giving this one to several people this Christmas.

Disappointing.......2007-06-23

I bought this book after I heard an interview of the author on a late night radio show. The book was very disappointing to me and I must admit I didn't finish it. I think it may have been the constant gushing about Evolution and Darwin that was boring me.

Disease is treated as an enemy to be eradicated - or should it be something more? .......2007-06-09

Disease is treated as an enemy to be eradicated - or should it be something more? Evolutionary biologist Marlene Zuk here argues that disease is our partner, not a foe: it's evolved alongside humans and is actually essential to health. The latest research and some unusual studies explores the role of disease in longevity, evolution, and the animal and insect as well as human worlds, using the author's on work on sexual selection processes to supplement intriguing stories from nature. An excellent survey, RIDDLED WITH LIFE: FRIENDLY WORMS, LADYBUG SEX, AND THE PARASITES THAT MAKE US WHO WE ARE is a pick not just for school holdings but for the general-interest library strong in popular science and health.

Is sex necessary?.......2007-05-28

I can still close my eyes and see Thurber's little cartoon guy slouching dispiritedly past an embracing couple on the park bench, and asking his famous question.

If he knew that most complex organisms evolved into two sexes because of parasites, he would probably have thrown his jacket over his head and screamed.

Marlene Zuk, a professor of biology at the University of California, provides `parasites' as the answer to many evolutionary conundrums, as she brings us face-to-proboscis with some of the natural world's most bizarre adaptations surrounding the continued survival of genomes, including our own.

What causes auto-immune diseases? Why do female peacocks go for males with the fanciest tail feathers? Are some people more accident-prone than others? Why did Debbie Estis Greenspan invent Dr. Doormat?

Are all of these phenomena caused by parasites? `Yes,' according to Professor Zuk.

If you don't believe that parasitized people have more accidents, read the chapter "Bad but Not Weird: The Real Emerging Diseases." Not only might the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis be responsible for a higher automobile accident rate, it might also trigger schizophrenia:

"Children of mothers who were infected with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy show higher levels of mental retardation, brain malformations, and seizures. Ewald and coworkers believe that the reason more people with schizophrenia are born at certain times of year is that their mothers were more likely to have come into contact with cats and their feces."

"Riddled with Life" presents a very clear thesis: evolution is driven by parasitism. It is backed up by fascinating proofs. I read this book while I was a guest at a friend's house, and couldn't help quoting example after example from Dr. Zuk's research.

The probable driver for the evolution of bedbug sex is particularly bizarre...I just hope I don't reincarnate as a lady bedbug.

Read this book and gross out your own friends. You may never be invited to stay over again, thanks to Professor Zuk's unforgettable examples of parasites in action.

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The Worm in the Bud
Ronald Pearsall
Manufacturer: Castle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Renaissance | World | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

City of Dreadful Delight: Narratives of Sexual Danger in Late-Victorian London (Women in Culture and Society Series)

ASIN: 0785822984

Average customer rating:

Cyberpunky pulp-fiction

Human_Worms
Kenji Siratori
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 059532276X

Book Description

EXTREME BIO-CYBERPUNK HORROR>>>insanity medium of the human body pill cruel emulator that was sucked to the emotional replicant of super-genomewarable abolition world-codemaniacs that was biocaptured a chemical=anthropoid acid of the soul/gram made of retro-ADAM is accelerated the virus::clone-dive a trash sensor drug embryo rave on the DNA=channel of the cadaver feti=streaming_body encoder that was send back out to the acidHUMANIX infection archive genomics strategy circuit technojunkies' era respiration-byte nerve cells of the hyperreal HIV=scanner forms to the brain universe that was processed the data=mutant of her ultra=machinary tragedy-ROM creature system murder-gimmick of the cadaver city Blog.... I compress the insanity medium of the human body pill cruel emulator to the brain universe of the murder-protocol emotional replicant performance technojunkies' DNA=channel hacking the soul/gram made of retro-ADAM acidHUMANIX infection****the genomics strategy circuit of the abolition world-codemaniacs nerve cells that accelerates the virus of the artificial sun to the hunting for the grotesque WEB=joint end of the cadaver feti=streaming_body encoder that clone-dives a chemical=anthropoid mass of flesh-module vital to the era respiration-byte sending program murder game of her digital=vamp cold-blooded disease animals different of a trash sensor drug embryo-hyperreal HIV=scanners that were controlled plug-in....

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Customer Reviews:

Cyberpunky pulp-fiction.......2004-11-17

HUMAN_WORMS is an interesting book with smooth going story which unties for the machine/human Genome, at the end. The literal hero fights with a gang of user-hunters. The Net is endangered by the hunt which evolves to a war capacity system crash condition. While the conflict moves from the bits and bytes to the mental-soul world, the Genome code generates a programmed stable existence and the mix end-future, receives a lighter result. But is this the ever lasting peace?

A fresh-feel breath of contemporary spirit, cycles in and out H_W. As usual the Author writes in 2D text, but the mind of the reader is shown in to a richer dimensional world, the golden edge is to let it go. Somehow I always see Kenji Siratori as a future-documentary writer - a bit abstract, and pure contemporary.

Down the Organization or Games Supervisors Play: A Worm's Eye View of Industry

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Down the Organization or Games Supervisors Play: A Worm's Eye View of Industry
A. Worm
Manufacturer: Vantage Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Genes We Share With Yeast, Flies, Worms and Mice: New Clues to Human Health and Disease

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Genes We Share With Yeast, Flies, Worms and Mice: New Clues to Human Health and Disease

Manufacturer: Diane Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Genetics | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Helicopters and Other Fun Things (Lowly Worm's How, Where and Why)

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Helicopters and Other Fun Things (Lowly Worm's How, Where and Why)

Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

General | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0689816340

Of Fish, Fly, Worm, and Man: Lessons from Developmental Biology for Human Gene Function and Disease (Ernst Schering Research Foundation Workshop, 29)

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Of Fish, Fly, Worm, and Man: Lessons from Developmental Biology for Human Gene Function and Disease (Ernst Schering Research Foundation Workshop, 29)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Biochemistry | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Genetics | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Microbiology | Basic Science | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Book Description

With the sequencing of several entire genomes, including that of Caenorrhabditis elegans, completed, the stage is set for the next phase of "large-scale" biology, the identification of the functionality of, and the interplay between, all genes and their protein products. The aim of the ESRF Workshop 29 and hence of this book was to review the models, the powerful methodology, and selected achievements of developmental biology, which has in the past two decades not only unveiled basic molecular mechanisms of ontogenesis, but also made important contributions to deciphering signal transduction pathways with general relevance to adult vertebrate physiology and ultimately to understanding mechanisms of pathogenesis.

A Treatise On The Nature And Cure Of Intestinal Worms Of The Human Body

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A Treatise On The Nature And Cure Of Intestinal Worms Of The Human Body
William Rhind
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

Worms and Human Disease (Cabi Publishing)

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Worms and Human Disease (Cabi Publishing)
R. Muller
Manufacturer: CABI
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Public Health | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Microbiology | Basic Science | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0851995160

Book Description

This second edition of the popular advanced student textbook (previously published as Worms and Disease: A Manual of Medical Helminthology) has been thoroughly updated and revised since it was first published in 1975. It is an authoritative handbook covering all human helminth infections with particular emphasis on diagnosis, treatment, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, epidemiology and control. Practical guidelines are given for estimating the clinical and public significance of helminthiases, vital in areas where the majority of inhabitants are infected with many helminths but only a few are sick.

BANQUE WORMS SA: Labor Productivity Benchmarks and International Gap Analysis (Labor Productivity Series)

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BANQUE WORMS SA: Labor Productivity Benchmarks and International Gap Analysis (Labor Productivity Series)
Icon Group Ltd. , and Icon Group Ltd.
Manufacturer: Icon Group International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Ring-bound

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0597319553

Book Description

Are the combined human resources at BANQUE WORMS SA productive? There is no absolute answer to this question. This report considers the extent to which the company's labor deployment indicators differ from global benchmarks. In this report we consider forecasts of differences between labor ratios and the resulting return on this human investment compared to global benchmarks; the estimation of such differences is commonly called a "gap analysis." What is the ratio of short-term and long-term assets to employee? What are typical capital-labor ratios? How different are these ratios to companies serving the same link in the value chain? What are the average sales and net profits per employee compared to global benchmarks? These and over 50 other indicators of labor productivity are considered in this report. The report does so by going beyond traditional analyses by considering companies competing in the same or similar industrial classification at a global level. The goal of this report, therefore, is to assist consultants, human resource managers, strategic planners, and corporate officers in gauging estimates of a company's human resource indicators compared to firms competing or participating in the same economic sector, at the global level. This report is not about whether a particular company or industry has performed well or poorly in the past or will do so in the future. With the globalization of markets, greater foreign competition, and the reduction of entry barriers, it becomes all the more important to benchmark a company's human resource indicators against other firms on a worldwide basis. Doing so, however, is not an obvious task. First, one needs to find firms competing in the same sector, but not necessarily competing directly with the company in local markets. These firms should not be perceived, therefore, to be direct competitors to the company in question, but simply those that have been classified by various sources (e.g. EDGAR or similar foreign filings), as competing to serve customers in the same link of the value chain, or broad industrial classification, as identified by SIC, NAICS or similar codes. Second, given the international nature of the task, one needs to control for exchange rate volatility. Finally, one needs use comparable financial standards. This report overcomes these issues and gives full human resources benchmarks vis-a-vis worldwide competitors who are present in the same narrow industrial classification. Benchmarks cover labor-asset ratios, labor-liability ratios, and labor-income ratios. Since our reports are printed on demand, the statistics reported are for the latest quarter and are the most up to date available (4 updates are produced each year). Each report provides over 100 statistics and 40 graphs to the reader. This reports is on BANQUE WORMS SA, 92059 PARIS-LA-DEFENSE CEDEX, France.

Average customer rating:

Every nursing mother should have this book

Details helped when I was sleep deprived and couldn't think.

Myths, negativity, and made-up advice

Every nursing mom should have this at her bedside!

Great for Needing Answers NOW!

The Nursing Mother's Problem Solver
Claire Martin , Martha Sears , and Nancy Funnemark
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Pregnancy & Childbirth | Women's Health | Personal Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Sears, Dr. William | Authors, A-Z | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Family Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Motherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Breastfeeding | Babies & Toddlers | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Child Care | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Breastfeeding Book: Everything You Need to Know About Nursing Your Child from Birth Through Weaning

The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two (Revised and Updated Edition)

The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers Revised and Updated: The Most Comprehensive Problem-Solving Guide to Breastfeeding from the Foremost Expert in North America

The American Academy of Pediatrics New Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding (American Academy of Pediatrics)

The Baby Sleep Book: The Complete Guide to a Good Night's Rest for the Whole Family (Sears Parenting Library)

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RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device

Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)

ASIN: 0684857847

Book Description

Finally! Answers to your most urgent questions in an easy-to-use format!

How to know the effect of what you eat and drink on your breastmilk -- from antihistamines and antidepressants to spicy food, wine, or caffeine
How to use natural remedies like fennel tea, cabbage leaves, and brewer's yeast to combat your own and your baby's discomforts
How to accommodate your child's particular nursing style, be she fussy, sleepy, overeager, or uninterested
How to breastfeed children with special needs -- like a cleft palate and Down's syndrome -- as well as adopted babies and twins

Cross-referenced for easy, immediate access to information, supplemented with listings of resources such as videos, Web sites, and support groups, this volume is the most comprehensive collection of nursing advice available.

Download Description

Based on questions posed by thousands of real mothers, this A-to-Z guide has a practical, realistic view of how nursing fits into a modern woman's life. First-time mothers and breastfeeding veterans will find answers to more than 300 questions -- from the most common to the most particular. How to know the effect of what you eat and drink on your breastmilk -- from antihistamines and antidepressants to spicy food, wine, or caffeine How to use natural remedies like fennel tea, cabbage leaves, and brewer's yeast to combat your own and your baby's discomforts How to accommodate your child's particular nursing style, be she fussy, sleepy, overeager, or uninterested How to breastfeed children with special needs -- like a cleft palate and Down's syndrome -- as well as adopted babies and twins Cross-referenced for easy, immediate access to information, supplemented with listings of resources such as videos, Web sites, and support groups, this volume is the most comprehensive collection of nursing advice available.

Customer Reviews:

Every nursing mother should have this book.......2004-04-19

This book is absolute gold! Every nursing mother should have a copy whether she's breastfeeding her first or her twenty-first.

The paperback is comfortably sized and easy to read while nursing. It covers many topics, include some that are routinely ignored in US society such as food allergies and sensitivies. Admittedly, if your nursling has an allergy or sensitivity, this book will only get you started. However, that start can mean the world to a miserable newborn.

In my opinion, moms who consult this book for advice first will find themselves well prepared to sustain a long-term enjoyable breastfeeding relationship with their babies.

I've personally given this book to about half a dozen nursing mothers from the first time mom to the experienced breastfeeder. Each has had wonderful things to say about it.

Details helped when I was sleep deprived and couldn't think........2002-11-11

I didn't have trouble nursing my 1st baby and my 2nd is going almost as perfectly. This book was a simple reasource to regain the memory of things I had forgotten. Not many books I have read talk a lot about women with lots of milk. It covered the unique side effects the baby will feel in this situation. Also, I knew I shouldn't get new lenses while pregnant and was planning Lasiks - I now know to put that off until after weaning.

Myths, negativity, and made-up advice.......2002-09-17

While I liked some things, including nice information on breastfeeding in public, I found this book negative and full of assertions not supported by research. She is obsessed with food sensitivities, covering them in 14 sections and attributing every whimper to something mom ate. Research does not support her theories!

Other suggestions are not supported by research, including drinking more water to boost supply. (It can have the opposite effect if you drink too much -- such as Martin's crazy recommendations to drink 8 to 10 ounces per hour.) On p. 277 she lists among ways you can tell if baby is getting enough milk that stools have an odor more sweet than foul. Once baby is eating solids, they'll always be foul. Here she tells the mother to drink 8 ounces of water every two hours(inconsistent with previous recommendation) to increase supply. These are not the standard evidence-based suggestions for improving supply.

On page 96, she tells a mother with cracked, bleeding nipples to circle the six-week date (when she can stop breastfeeding, according to Martin) on her calendar. She describes the pain as normal; while some degree of discomfort may be (research is not conclusive on this), cracked and bleeding nipples are not. In fact, on page 186, she herself says that pain during breastfeeding is not normal. Why all the inconsistencies?

Under "Milk: Low Supply," you're making enough milk if baby producing 8 to 12 wet and poopy diapers in 24 hours. She later says that baby must poop at least four times a day. Evidence-based guidelines are two to five poopy diapers per day in the first six weeks (after which some babies poop less frequently), and 6-8 wet cloth diapers or 5-6 wet disposables.

The section on traveling by air, p. 292-293, is bizarre. If baby won't nurse, it recommends a lollipop. You want me to use a choking hazard and cavity-causer for a baby? Also says to bring bottles for water and expressed milk. "If he absolutely refuses a bottle, you'll need to nurse him on takeoff and landing." She also advises bringing a manual pump to express between flights. This is confusing given the book's upbeat advice on nursing in public. Why make work when breastfeeding makes it so easy? With my formula-fed child, I had a screaming baby, mad fellow passengers, and too many things to juggle. With my breastfeeding children, no one knew I had a baby on the plane (so many people said, "Where was she?" when we deplaned)and I was so relaxed -- no supplies to juggle.

I was shocked by the advice to see (i.e., PAY) a lactation consultant for swaddling advice!

These are just a few of the many, many oddities. I wish the author had done her homework before writing the book, as it is organized nicely and could have been a valuable resource.

Every nursing mom should have this at her bedside!.......2002-07-07

Even after 18 months of nursing this book is still always within my reach. This is not a piece of "breastfeeding propaganda". The author makes no judgements and offers few opinions- she bases her material thoroughly in fact. Even though I nursed my first child, this book has proved invaluable with my second. It has seen me through early latch-on problems, colic, returning to work, pumping and storing, air travel, and countless other issues faced by breastfeeding moms. The quick-reference format is a perfect way to present the information. I wish I could give this book to every new mother.

Great for Needing Answers NOW!.......2002-06-13

This is my favorite breastfeeding book. While the others I have are good, too, they have a lot of prose and spend pages on a topic. This one gives me the answers NOW.

For example, I prepared to nurse my son one day and started leaking green milk! I was afraid to nurse him, unsure of whether he should drink it. Baby was crying by this point and I wanted the answer now. I looked in the other books and found no help. I looked in the index of this one and voila! Green milk is in there. One paragraph of reading told me that he could drink it and I was on my way. Crying stopped, crisis overcome. I love this book!

It is arranged by topic, alphabetically. So you can look up colic under "c", green milk under "g", etc. And the topics are in plain english. Very nice. It is also cross-referenced, so if one short paragraph doesn't quite solve your problem, perhaps a related topic will.

There are other books (must get "The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book...") that are nice to read in your third trimester, but this is the one to have in your bag when you go to the hospital and to keep by your rocker-glider when you get home. It really is worth every dime.

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