Plants have played key roles in science fiction novels, graphic novels, and film. John Wyndham's triffids, Algernon Blackwood's willows, and Han Kang's sprouting woman are just a few examples. Plants surround us, sustain us, pique our imaginations, and inhabit our metaphors - but in many ways they remain opaque. The scope of their alienation is as broad as their biodiversity. And yet, literary reflections of plant-life are driven, as are many threads of science fictional inquiry, by the co...

An "invaluable [and] highly readable" account of the quest to map our DNA, the blueprint for life—and what it means for our future ( The Philadelphia Inquirer).Genome tells the story of the most ambitious scientific adventure of our time. By gradually isolating and identifying all the genes in the human body—the blueprint for life—scientists are closing in on the ability to effectively treat and prevent nearly every disease that strikes man, from m...

We are in the midst of a medical revolution: in just a few years, we will be able to have our complete DNA sequenced at an affordable cost. Analysing the content of our genomes will allow a powerful estimate of our future risks of illness - from cystic fibrosis and Huntington's disease, to cancer and diabetes - which will help us devise our own personalised blueprint of preventive medicine. This will have enormous implications on everything from our day-to-day choices like diet and exercis...

Leading experts on the science, history, politics, medicine, and potential of America’s most popular recreational drug• With contributions by Andrew Weil, Michael Pollan, Lester Grinspoon, Allen St. Pierre (NORML), Tommy Chong, and others• Covers marijuana’s physiological and psychological effects, its medicinal uses, the complex politics of cannabis law, pot and parenting, its role in creativity, business, and spirituality, and much moreExploring the role of cannab...

Why do we need sleep? How much sleep is enough? What is sleep? What happens when we don't get enough? We spend about a third of our lives asleep - it plays a crucial role in our health and wellbeing. References to sleep abound in literature and art, and sleep has been recognized as fundamental to the human condition for thousands of years. Over the past century, our knowledge of how sleep occurs, what it does, and what happens to our health if we do not have enough has developed h...

Goodbye, genetic blueprint. . . . The first book for general readers ?on the game-changing field of epigenetics.The burgeoning new science of epigenetics offers a cornucopia of insights—some comforting, some frightening. For example, the male fetus may be especially vulnerable to certain common chemicals in our environment, in ways that damage not only his own sperm but also the sperm of his sons. And it’s epigenetics that causes identical twins to vary widely in their susceptibili...

Turning thirty years of medical and cultural wisdom on its head, Sex, Lies, and Menopause challenges both the medical establishment and modern feminists to prove that menopause does not have to be deadly.In this revolutionary work -- a landmark that signals the true beginning of feminist medicine -- a doctor, a philosopher, and a scientist prove that by postponing marriage and motherhood, women have accelerated the aging process, resulting in earlier menopause and, ultimately for t...

As women quickly discover, their life when treatment ends is very different from what it was before their diagnosis. Often exhausted, anxious, and emotionally volatile, they are beset by physical discomforts, fearful of intimacy, afraid for their children, worried about recurrence. Anticipating a return to “normalcy,” they discover that the old version of normal no longer applies.There could be no more knowledgeable guide for women embarking on this complicated journey than Hester ...

If you have lupus, you probably have many questions. Lupus isn't a simple disease with an easy answer. You can't take a pill and make it go away. The people you live with and work with may have trouble understanding that you're sick. Lupus doesn't have a clear set of signs that people can see. You may know that something's wrong, even though it may take a while to be diagnosed. Lupus has many shades. It can affect people of different races, ethnicities, and ages, both men and wom...

A complete guide to Parkinson's from two people with the disease who cofounded a national support and advocacy organization.In Living Well with Parkinson's Disease, Gretchen Garie and Michael J. Church, a couple who both have Parkinson's and live daily with the effects of the disease, thoroughly discuss diagnosis, treatment options, and the emotional consequences of this difficult illness. With a conversational, pragmatic, and personal tone, they offer advi...

Discover Exciting New Treatments for FibromyalgiaNow you can take control of your fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and begin enjoying life again—today! This book dispels the myths and clearly lays out the truth about FMS and what you can do for relief. Inside is compassionate, practical, and immediate guidance for anyone affected by fibromyalgia, including:·The causes, symptoms, and patterns of fibromyalgia·How to find the right doctor and avoid costly and ...

In this essential guide to the brave new future, Dr. Kevin Davies, author of Cracking the Genome, reveals the masterful ingenuity that transformed the process of decoding DNA and vividly brings the extraordinary drama of the grand scientific achievement to life.In 2000, President Bill Clinton signaled the completion of the Human Genome Project at a cost in excess of $2 billion. A decade later, the price for any of us to order our own personal genome sequen...