A biology professor's "funny, fascinating" tour of the physical imperfections—from faulty knees to junk DNA—that make us human (Discover). 
We humans like to think of ourselves as highly evolved creatures. But if we are supposedly evolution's greatest creation, why do we have such bad knees? Why do we catch head colds so often—two hundred times more often than a dog does? How come our wrists have so many useless bones? Why is the...

Some low-frequency sounds—such as noise from storms or truck engines—can make you feel dizzy and nauseated. An index finger's light touch can stop people from losing balance. You are more prone to trip when you think someone is watching you. A breakthrough in improving balance as we age might just come through the study of the Achilles tendon. A person gets "falling down drunk" due to a tiny structure in the inner ear that floats when

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Few things are as tantalizing as a woman's curves…and yet, humans are the only mammals on earth whose females have curvy bodies. Why? And what does this unique body shape mean for us? In Curvology, researcher David Bainbridge uses his scientific know-how to get to the bottom of this anatomical mystery and to explore the social and psychological consequences of our cultural fixation with curves and fat.Bainbridge brings thorough and clear-headed...

"This book doesn't just promise to change the way you think about sleight of hand and David Copperfield-it will also change the way you think about the mind." -Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide and Proust Was A Neuroscientist Stephen Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde, the founders of the exciting new discipline of neuromagic, have convinced some of the world's greatest magicians to allow scientists to study their techniques for tricking the...

La coordination des fonctions exercées par les différents organes qui composent le corps des animaux repose sur des systèmes de communication qui opèrent au sein de l'organisme pour maintenir l'équilibre fonctionnel indispensable à la vie . L'un de ces systèmes est dit endocrinien, parce qu'il ...

So wie die Feuerwehr nicht schuld ist am verheerenden Großbrand, so ist unser Fettgewebe nicht schuld an Diabetes und Herzinfarkt. Nur wenn wir unser Fettgewebe verstehen, können wir sein Potenzial erhalten und nutzen. Petra Schling gibt in diesem essential einen Überblick über Aufbau und Funktionen unseres Fettgewebes und stellt die wichtigsten Botenstoffe von Fettzellen und ihren Vorläufen vor. Darüber hinaus klärt die Autorin Irrtümer und...

Dans le règne animal, la présence d'un appareil génital est liée à la reproduction sexuée. À l'opposé de la reproduction asexuée, o un seul individu engendre des copies de lui-même à peu près exactes, jamais novatrices, la reproduction sexuée fait participer à la naissance de l'organisme nouveau deux individus complémentaires, le mâle et la femelle...

How can a group make a decision that is fair for everyone? It takes respect for each person's ideas and choices. Learn how Miss Kudrick's class votes to decide what to do during a special recess. Fully decodable text features high-frequency words, and words with the ck, k, and short u sounds. Also features tips for teachers and caregivers along with additional information at the end to build the reader's background knowledge of the topic. Downloadable...

An empty stomach can expand by 500% when you start filling it with food! This and other amazing facts about the human body are presented in a creative and compelling way in this unique guide to basic biology and anatomy. Fun facts and memorable statistics are the basis of the text, and readers are sure to share the amazing information they've learned with others. Large, colorful images are also helpful sources of additional details - with photographs...

There are many parts of the medical field that talks about the science of the internal systems of the body. The anatomy that depicts the exterior parts of the body such as the body dimensions, the breasts, and the external organs is called surface anatomy. Surface anatomy is the first anatomy that a biology student learns. A pamphlet depicting the surface anatomy would help a biology student understand what surface anatomy was and the specifics of...