The Biology of Us
The Living World All Around and In Us
Published on 13. January 2025
Book
Hardback
328 pages
978-0-19-766479-7 (ISBN)
Description
In our modern world, it is easy to overlook the natural world all around us. Only major life events, such as birth, injury, disease, and death, remind us that we are still biological organisms. We "interact" with nature in controlled and safe environments, such as zoos, theme parks, or through different forms of media. Television shows, films, and books are nearly always in exotic locations (e.g., the Kalahari Desert, the deep ocean, or Antarctica), but they inadvertently reinforce our separation from nature. Biology happens somewhere else.
Author Gary Howard seeks to change that perception. The Biology of Us describes the common but fascinating examples of biology and nature that are hidden in plain sight in our daily lives. It focuses on human biology, but describes animals and plants all around, on, and in us to put human features into an evolutionary context. Many aspects of ourselves and our normal activities are examples of evolution: breathing, eating, standing up, communicating, telling time, and more. This book illustrates evolutionary strategies used successfully by common organisms for hundreds of millions of years. Howard shows that the organisms in our daily lives are not trivial neighbors or even pests but are just as amazing as those in the Serengeti or the Galapagos Islands.
Author Gary Howard seeks to change that perception. The Biology of Us describes the common but fascinating examples of biology and nature that are hidden in plain sight in our daily lives. It focuses on human biology, but describes animals and plants all around, on, and in us to put human features into an evolutionary context. Many aspects of ourselves and our normal activities are examples of evolution: breathing, eating, standing up, communicating, telling time, and more. This book illustrates evolutionary strategies used successfully by common organisms for hundreds of millions of years. Howard shows that the organisms in our daily lives are not trivial neighbors or even pests but are just as amazing as those in the Serengeti or the Galapagos Islands.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 166 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
635 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-766479-7 (9780197664797)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
10/2024
OUP eBook
€24.99
Available for download
E-Book
10/2024
OUP eBook
€24.99
Available for download
Person
Gary C. Howard, PhD, served as a science editor and writer for the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco for 22 years. He received a PhD in biological sciences from Carnegie Mellon University and completed fellowships at Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University. He continues to edit and write. His previous books, The Biology of Death (2021) and Imaging Life (2014) were both published by Oxford University Press. Howard is also an elected member of the Board of Education of Castro Valley Unified School District and an appointed member of the Alameda County Public Health Commission.
Content
Preface
1. Looking for Sowbugs
2. Life around Us
Building the Family Tree
Animals
What Distinguishes Humans from Other Animals
Plants
Lichens
Fungi and Bacteria
Life Is Everywhere
3. Life beneath Our Feet
Earth under Our Feet
Life Underground
Key Process Underground
Think about What's Underground
4. Supermarket Systematics
Animals
Animal Products
Plant Products
Mushrooms and Fungi
Thanksgiving Dinner
Supermarket Systematics
5. Fellow Travelers
Visitors That Drop in for a Bite
Visitor That Stay for a While
Internal Parasites
Fungi
Bacteria
Microbiome
Viruses
Viral Fossils
Endosymbiosis
In the End
6. Inside and Outside
Water
Oil and Lipids
Proteins
Membrane Structure
Crossing Membranes
Other Lipids
Inside and Outside of Us
The Ultimate Inside
7. Inside and Outside of Us
Outside: Skin
The Other Outside: The Digestive Tract
The True Outside
8. Food and Eating
The Evolution of Eating
Cooking
Digestion
When Things Go Wrong
Diseases of Affluence
9. Standing Up
Standing on Two Feet
Cells and Cellular Structures
Animals
Humans
Plants
Moving Plants
Putting it all together
10. The Heart of the Matter
Blood
Heart
Lungs
Kidneys
Internal Sea
11. Life Using Death
Programmed Cell Death
Butterflies and Frogs
Falling Leaves and Fruit
Human Development and Maintenance
Diseases and Aging
Quorum Sensing in Bacteria
Cell Death Support Cell Life
12. Laughing and Crying
Crying and Tears
Laughing
Anatomy of Speech
Vocalizations and Language
Evolution of Speech
Chemical Communication
Conclusions
13. Sleep and Consciousness
What Is Sleep?
How Much Sleep Do We Need?
Sleep Disorders
Do All Animals Sleep?
Do Plants Sleep?
How the Brain Works
What Are Dreams?
Consciousness
Conclusion
14. Telling Time
Circadian Rhythms
Confusing Our Internal Clocks
Beyond Waking and Sleeping
Development and Aging
Time
15. What's Next
Glossary
1. Looking for Sowbugs
2. Life around Us
Building the Family Tree
Animals
What Distinguishes Humans from Other Animals
Plants
Lichens
Fungi and Bacteria
Life Is Everywhere
3. Life beneath Our Feet
Earth under Our Feet
Life Underground
Key Process Underground
Think about What's Underground
4. Supermarket Systematics
Animals
Animal Products
Plant Products
Mushrooms and Fungi
Thanksgiving Dinner
Supermarket Systematics
5. Fellow Travelers
Visitors That Drop in for a Bite
Visitor That Stay for a While
Internal Parasites
Fungi
Bacteria
Microbiome
Viruses
Viral Fossils
Endosymbiosis
In the End
6. Inside and Outside
Water
Oil and Lipids
Proteins
Membrane Structure
Crossing Membranes
Other Lipids
Inside and Outside of Us
The Ultimate Inside
7. Inside and Outside of Us
Outside: Skin
The Other Outside: The Digestive Tract
The True Outside
8. Food and Eating
The Evolution of Eating
Cooking
Digestion
When Things Go Wrong
Diseases of Affluence
9. Standing Up
Standing on Two Feet
Cells and Cellular Structures
Animals
Humans
Plants
Moving Plants
Putting it all together
10. The Heart of the Matter
Blood
Heart
Lungs
Kidneys
Internal Sea
11. Life Using Death
Programmed Cell Death
Butterflies and Frogs
Falling Leaves and Fruit
Human Development and Maintenance
Diseases and Aging
Quorum Sensing in Bacteria
Cell Death Support Cell Life
12. Laughing and Crying
Crying and Tears
Laughing
Anatomy of Speech
Vocalizations and Language
Evolution of Speech
Chemical Communication
Conclusions
13. Sleep and Consciousness
What Is Sleep?
How Much Sleep Do We Need?
Sleep Disorders
Do All Animals Sleep?
Do Plants Sleep?
How the Brain Works
What Are Dreams?
Consciousness
Conclusion
14. Telling Time
Circadian Rhythms
Confusing Our Internal Clocks
Beyond Waking and Sleeping
Development and Aging
Time
15. What's Next
Glossary