You'realreadylivingit.
Wasdiabetesevolution'sresponsetothelastIceAge?DidadeadlygeneticdiseasehelpourancestorssurvivethebubonicplaguesofEurope?Willavisittothetanningsalonhelploweryourcholesterol?Whydoweage?WhyaresomepeopleimmunetoHIV?Canyourgenesbeturnedon--oroff?
Joiningtheranksofmodernmythbusters,Dr.SharonMoalemturnsourcurrentunderstandingofillnessonitsheadandchallengesustofundamentallychangethewaywethinkaboutourbodies,ourhealth,andourrelationshiptojustabouteveryotherlivingthingonearth,fromplantsandanimalstoinsectsandbacteria.
Throughafreshandengagingexaminationofourevolutionaryhistory,Dr.Moalemrevealshowmanyoftheconditionsthatarediseasestodayactuallygaveourancestorsalegupinthesurvivalsweepstakes.Whentheoptionisalonglifewithadiseaseorashortonewithoutit,evolutionoptsfordiseasealmosteverytime.
Everythingfromtheclimateourancestorslivedintothecropstheyplantedandatetotheirbeverageofchoicecanbeseeninourgeneticinheritance.ButSurvivaloftheSickestdoesn'tstopthere.Itgoesontodemonstratejusthowlittlemodernmedicinereallyunderstandsabouthumanhealth,andoffersanewwayofthinkingthatcanhelpallofuslivelonger,healthierlives.
SurvivaloftheSickestisfilledwithfascinatinginsightsandcutting-edgeresearch,presentedinawaythatisbothaccessibleandutterlyabsorbing.Thisisabookabouttheinterconnectednessofalllifeonearth--and,especially,whatthatmeansforus.