Evolution in Health and Disease
Title | Evolution in Health and Disease PDF eBook |
Author | Stephen C. Stearns |
Publisher | Oxford University Press, USA |
Pages | 352 |
Release | 1999 |
Genre | Adaptation (Physiology) |
ISBN |
Have you ever wondered how the disparity between the life experiences of our ancestors and ourselves might affect our health? For the majority of our evolutionary history, humans lived in small hunter- gatherer groups whose diet, lifestyle, living conditions, and environmental pressures werevery different to the experiences of most humans today. The adaptations making us uniquely human - height, brain size, body proportions, metabolic rate, day range - were established during the Pleistocene - some 200 times as long as our recent evolutionary history - and may not fit us as well atthe end of the 20th Century. This fascinating book explores and analyses the ways in which our ancient genes contend with, and influence, human life in the space age. It offers the first broad, in-depth coverage of the many points of contact between evolutionary biology and medical science.Evolutionary biology is not a standard part of medical education, but it offers many important insights into central problems of human health and disease. These include the evolution of antibiotic resistance, the evolution of pathogen virulence, the evolution of ageing, the design of vaccines, andpopulation- and genotype-specific reactions to drugs and susceptibility to disease. They also include new insights into mother-offspring conflict during pregnancy, menstruation, menopause, child abuse, homicide, depression, schizophrenia, and many chronic degenerative diseases, such as cancer andosteoporosis. This book, written by a team of world experts in evolutionary medicine, describes the state of the art, and provides easy, clear access to the primary literature. Addressed to medical students, medical researchers, and evolutionary biologists, it provides compelling arguments for whythe tools of evolutionary biology - both its ideas and its methods - belong in every doctor's tool-kit.
Evolution in Health and Disease
Title | Evolution in Health and Disease PDF eBook |
Author | Stephen C. Stearns |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Pages | 397 |
Release | 2008 |
Genre | Health & Fitness |
ISBN | 0199207453 |
This work explores and analyses the ways in which our ancient genes contend with, and influence, modern human life. It offers coverage of the points of contact between evolutionary biology and medical science.
The Story of the Human Body
Title | The Story of the Human Body PDF eBook |
Author | Daniel Lieberman |
Publisher | Vintage |
Pages | 482 |
Release | 2014-07-01 |
Genre | Science |
ISBN | 030774180X |
A landmark book of popular science that gives us a lucid and engaging account of how the human body evolved over millions of years—with charts and line drawings throughout. “Fascinating.... A readable introduction to the whole field and great on the making of our physicality.”—Nature In this book, Daniel E. Lieberman illuminates the major transformations that contributed to key adaptations to the body: the rise of bipedalism; the shift to a non-fruit-based diet; the advent of hunting and gathering; and how cultural changes like the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions have impacted us physically. He shows how the increasing disparity between the jumble of adaptations in our Stone Age bodies and advancements in the modern world is occasioning a paradox: greater longevity but increased chronic disease. And finally—provocatively—he advocates the use of evolutionary information to help nudge, push, and sometimes even compel us to create a more salubrious environment and pursue better lifestyles.
Principles of Evolutionary Medicine
Title | Principles of Evolutionary Medicine PDF eBook |
Author | Peter D. Gluckman |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Pages | 401 |
Release | 2016 |
Genre | Medical |
ISBN | 0199663920 |
A new updated edition of the first integrated and comprehensive textbook to explain the principles of evolutionary biology from a medical perspective and to focus on how medicine and public health might utilise evolutionary biology.
Diseases and Human Evolution
Title | Diseases and Human Evolution PDF eBook |
Author | Ethne Barnes |
Publisher | UNM Press |
Pages | 500 |
Release | 2005 |
Genre | Epidemiology |
ISBN | 9780826330666 |
Barnes, a paleopathologist, offers general overviews of specific diseases (West Nile virus, Lyme disease, Ebola, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, cholera, etc.) and their carriers.
Evolutionary Medicine and Health
Title | Evolutionary Medicine and Health PDF eBook |
Author | Wenda R. Trevathan |
Publisher | OUP USA |
Pages | 0 |
Release | 2009-03-26 |
Genre | Psychology |
ISBN | 9780195307054 |
Building on the success of their groundbreaking anthology Evolutionary Medicine (OUP, 1999), Wenda R. Trevathan, E. O. Smith, and James J. McKenna provide an up-to-date and thought-provoking introduction to the field with this new collection of essays. Ideal for courses in evolutionary medicine, medical anthropology, and the evolution of human disease, Evolutionary Medicine and Health: New Perspectives presents twenty-three original articles that examine how human evolution relates to a broad range of contemporary health problems including infectious, chronic, nutritional, and mental diseases and disorders. Topics covered include disease susceptibility in cultural context, substance abuse and addiction, sleep disorders, preeclampsia, altitude-related hypoxia, the biological context of menstruation, and the role of stress in modern life. An international team of preeminent scholars in biological anthropology, medicine, biology, psychology, and geography contributed the selections. Together they represent a uniquely integrative and multidisciplinary approach that takes into account the dialogue between biology and culture as it relates to understanding, treating, and preventing disease. A common theme throughout is the description of cases in which biological human development conflicts with culturally based individual behaviors that determine health outcomes. Detailed, evidence-based arguments make the case that all aspects of the human condition covered in the volume have an evolutionary basis, while theoretical discussions using other empirical evidence critique the gaps that still remain in evolutionary approaches to health. Evolutionary Medicine and Health: New Perspectives features an introductory overview that covers the field's diverse array of topics, questions, lines of evidence, and perspectives. In addition, the editors provide introductions to each essay and an extensive bibliography that represents a state-of-the-art survey of the literature. A companionwebsite at www.oup.com/us/evolmed offers a full bibliography and links to source articles, reports, and databases. Written in an engaging style that is accessible to students, professionals, and general readers, this book offers a unique look at how an evolutionary perspective has become increasingly relevant to the health field and medical practice.
Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases
Title | Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases PDF eBook |
Author | Michel Tibayrenc |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Pages | 773 |
Release | 2010-12-17 |
Genre | Medical |
ISBN | 0123848903 |
Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases is at the crossroads between two major scientific fields of the 21st century: evolutionary biology and infectious diseases. The genomic revolution has upset modern biology and has revolutionized our approach to ancient disciplines such as evolutionary studies. In particular, this revolution is profoundly changing our view on genetically driven human phenotypic diversity, and this is especially true in disease genetic susceptibility. Infectious diseases are indisputably the major challenge of medicine. When looking globally, they are the number one killer of humans and therefore the main selective pressure exerted on our species. Even in industrial countries, infectious diseases are now far less under control than 20 years ago. The first part of this book covers the main features and applications of modern technologies in the study of infectious diseases. The second part provides detailed information on a number of the key infectious diseases such as malaria, SARS, avian flu, HIV, tuberculosis, nosocomial infections and a few other pathogens that will be taken as examples to illustrate the power of modern technologies and the value of evolutionary approaches. Takes an integrated approach to infectious diseases Includes contributions from leading authorities Provides the latest developments in the field