The Secret Body: How the New Science of the Human Body Is Changing the Way We Live

Daniel M. Davis; Daniel M. Davis

Book

The Secret Body

How the New Science of the Human Body Is Changing the Way We Live

Daniel M. Davis and Daniel M. Davis

Language: English

Published/Copyright: 2021

Published by

View more publications by Princeton University Press

To Publisher Page

About this book

“A perfect blend of cutting-edge science and compelling storytelling.”—Bill Bryson

A revolutionary new vision of human biology and the scientific breakthroughs that will transform our lives

Imagine knowing years in advance whether you are likely to get cancer or having a personalized understanding of your individual genes, organs, and cells. Imagine being able to monitor your body's well-being, or have a diet tailored to your microbiome. The Secret Body reveals how these and other stunning breakthroughs and technologies are transforming our understanding of how the human body works, what it is capable of, how to protect it from disease, and how we might manipulate it in the future.

Taking readers to the cutting edge of research, Daniel Davis shows how radical new possibilities are becoming realities thanks to the visionary efforts of scientists who are revealing the invisible and secret universe within each of us. Focusing on six important frontiers, Davis describes what we are learning about cells, the development of the fetus, the body's immune system, the brain, the microbiome, and the genome—areas of human biology that are usually understood in isolation. Bringing them together here for the first time, Davis offers a new vision of the human body as a biological wonder of dizzying complexity and possibility.

Written by an award-winning scientist at the forefront of this adventure, The Secret Body is a gripping drama of discovery and a landmark account of the dawning revolution in human health.

Author / Editor information

Daniel M. Davis is Professor of Immunology and Head of Life Sciences at Imperial College London. He is the author of The Beautiful Cure and The Compatibility Gene.

Reviews

"In The Secret Body, Davis connects the past, present, and future of scientific advancements with aspects of human health. . . . By focusing on the successes as well as the struggles researchers responsible for each tool experienced, Davis personalizes the science and fosters an appreciation for the complexities of scientific discovery. . . . Appropriate for both scientific and general audiences, the book leaves readers with a deep sense of the impact that the large volume of data being produced through these technologies will have, not only on human health itself but also on decisions regarding health."---C. Kale, Choice --- "This is not a subject that popular writers have ignored, but Davis, a professor of immunology, refreshingly avoids the low-hanging fruit (life extension, designer babies) and digs into the actual science. While acknowledging the many miracles this new science will lead to (most of which will not occur in the immediate future), the author explores what contemporary scientists have learned and how they learned it. . . . Dazzling discoveries in expert hands." --- "A big-picture forecast of how medicine stands on the threshold of a revolution that will radically change all of our lives."---John Naish, The Times --- "An elegantly written and splendidly concise Cook’s Tour of the frontiers of medical biology."---John J. Ross, Wall Street Journal --- "A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year" --- "Finalist for the PROSE Award in Neuroscience, Association of American Publishers"

Topics

Publicly Available

Frontmatter
i

Download PDF
Publicly Available

Contents
vii

Download PDF
Publicly Available

A Note to Professional Scientists
xi

Download PDF
Requires Authentication Unlicensed

Licensed

Introduction
1

Download PDF
Requires Authentication Unlicensed

Licensed

1. Super-resolution Cells
13

Download PDF
Requires Authentication Unlicensed

Licensed

2. The Start of Us
35

Download PDF
Requires Authentication Unlicensed

Licensed

3. A Force for Healing
62

Download PDF
Requires Authentication Unlicensed

Licensed

4. The Multi-coloured Brain
88

Download PDF
Requires Authentication Unlicensed

Licensed

5. The Others Within
112

Download PDF
Requires Authentication Unlicensed

Licensed

6. Overarching Codes
135

Download PDF
Requires Authentication Unlicensed

Licensed

7. What it all Means
156

Download PDF
Requires Authentication Unlicensed

Licensed

Acknowledgements
160

Download PDF
Requires Authentication Unlicensed

Licensed

Notes
162

Download PDF
Requires Authentication Unlicensed

Licensed

Index
206

Download PDF

Publishing information

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

eBook published on:

August 5, 2021

eBook ISBN:

9780691230481

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691230481

eBook ISBN: 9780691230481

Keywords for this book

Embryo; Protein; Bacteria; White blood cell; Antibody; Microscope; Gene; Disease; In vitro fertilisation; Technology; Molecule; Microorganism; Human body; Cancer cell; Breast cancer; Flow cytometry; Microbiota; Monoclonal antibody; Mutation; Placenta; B cell; Sperm; Down syndrome; CRISPR; Hygiene hypothesis; Human Longevity Inc.; Immortalised cell line; Genetic testing; Virology; Biology; Louise Brown; Gut flora; Pasteur Institute; Allergy; Thalidomide; Predictive medicine; Lung cancer; Brainbow; Human genome; Chédiak–Higashi syndrome; Dieting; Sydney Brenner; Nobel Prize; Intracytoplasmic sperm injection; Superiority (short story); Electron microscope; Short-chain fatty acid; Probiotic; Clostridium difficile colitis; Mastectomy; OpenBiome; Multiple myeloma; Cystic fibrosis; Robin Lovell-Badge; Neuron; Retinoblastoma protein; Human Genome Project; Biotechnology; Miscarriage; Camillo Golgi; Jacques Monod; Prion; Laboratory of Molecular Biology; Synapsis; HIV; Antonie van Leeuwenhoek; Protease inhibitor (pharmacology); T cell receptor; Martin Evans; Chorionic villus sampling

Audience(s) for this book

For a non-specialist adult audience

The Secret Body

Overview

About this book

Author / Editor information

Reviews

Topics

Table of contents

Frontmatter

Contents

A Note to Professional Scientists

Introduction

1. Super-resolution Cells

2. The Start of Us

3. A Force for Healing

4. The Multi-coloured Brain

5. The Others Within

6. Overarching Codes

7. What it all Means

Acknowledgements

Notes

Index

Bibliographic data