Book Description

Biomechanics of Sport and Exercise launches a new genre of text; it’s less complicated and much more practical. This book starts by showing students the practical applications of mechanics and concludes with an entire section on applied qualitative analysis to improve understanding of technique, training, and injury development. Splendid visual elements combine with clear, concise language throughout.

Rather than inundate students with complex math and physics, this engaging text is organized to help readers discover the principles of mechanics for themselves. This approach creates more active learning and better understanding.

The book features
• student objectives at the beginning of each chapter,
• boxed self-experiments throughout the text,
• lists of key terms at the end of each chapter,
• chapter summaries,
• review questions at the end of each chapter, and
• a complete glossary. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Biomechanics Text!
This book is very accessable, which was obviously one of the goals of the author.

Read it slowly and carefully and you will undoubtedly aquire some of the understanding necessary to consider human movement in terms of natural mechanics. ... Read more

Book Description

This sixth edition text retains the strengths of the previous fiveeditions that have spanned 25 years of publication while adding many excitingnew exercises and instructional features. A Laboratory Textbook of Anatomy andPhysiology consists of a 15-unit format that can be adapted to accommodatecourses of various length and depth. More human anatomy and physiology exerciseshave been added to the sixth edition with specific references to the cadaver.The anatomical features of the human heart, nervous, respiratory, digestive,urinary, and reproductive systems have been expanded, including more detailedand descriptive references to models and specimens. ... Read more

Book Description

Molecular Biology of the Skin: The Keratinocyte comprehensively reviews the major aspects of keratinocyte and epidermal differentiation, physiology, and pathology, primarily focusing on the molecular aspects. This exciting new resource discusses keratin genes, retinoic acid, and the use of transgenic animals in the study of dermatological pathology. The volume also highlights areas of genetic disease, new animal models to help in understanding dermatological disorders, and gene therapy using skin as a target. W.W. Franke, a pioneer in the study of the molecular biology of keratins, has written the foreword for the book.
Molecular Biology of the Skin: The Keratinocyte is intended for use by dermatologists and basic researchers in cell and developmental biology. It will also be valuable for surgeons and other clinicians as well as researchers in gene therapy, virology, and pharmacology.

*
* Reviews keratinocyte (and epidermal) differentiation. physiology, and pathology, focusing on the molecular aspects
* -Discusses keratin genes, retinoic acid, and the use of transgenic animals in the study of dermatalogical pathology
* -Highlights genetic disease, new animal models, and gene therapy ... Read more

Book Description

Systems and Structures covers organs, structures and systems of the body.Completely updated with latest terminology and digitally remastered illustrations. New charts include latest advances in medical science and cutting edge topics.

This handy, desk-size book measures 11" by 14" and has 35 charts. Clear and concise terminology and supporting text are printed on each chart. These books are easily affordable for home use or for students in physiology, anatomy, nursing or pre-med as supplementary references ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Prepare to have some of your greatest fears laid bare in this collection of riveting, and often terrifying, "cautionary tales from the limits of human endurance." Based on interviews with accident survivors and the medical specialists who treat them, veteran outdoor writer Peter Stark offers mostly fictitious accounts (there is one based on a true historical incident) of people caught in life-threatening situations. In Last Breath, he thoroughly explores what happens to the human body and mind during drowning, a long fall, burial beneath an avalanche, hypothermia, dehydration, mountain sickness, the bends, malaria, scurvy, hyperthermia, and contact with a poisonous jellyfish. Stark packs enough historic and scientific information and page-turning suspense into each chapter to make them all fascinating and useful. And he answers some perplexing questions in the process, such as why those suffering from acute hypothermia often rip off their clothing in an effort to save themselves.

No, Stark does not have some unresolved death wish--he readily admits that he fears death. But he also understands that the fine line between life and death actually entices outdoor adventurers to risk everything for the chance to explore their own physical and mental limits. In fact, it is exactly this close proximity to death that makes the experience come alive for certain individuals with the overriding desire "to strip away the superfluous, to remove the protective boundaries between that thing you call a self and something larger." These are the stories of those who crossed the line. --Shawn Carkonen ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Excellent light and educational reading
"Last Breath" makes for a very good educational read on many different ways of dying. The information in the book ties together the psychological and physiologcal factors of people in extreme conditions, and also provides some helpful information on how to increase your chances of survival.

Other reviewers have commented negatively on the characters being fictional. I felt that had you not been told by Peter Stark to begin with, it would have been difficult to know that they weren't real stories. Furthermore, the use of fictional characters allowed the author to include all of the important details and circumstances that can occur during a given struggle, in just one story.

Great storytelling - but it's different from what you think
First the good news. The author obviously knows what he's writing about, and this gives the stories lots of energy and impact. Also, he's a very good writer, setting up great situations and characters - you'll want to know what happens to them and keep reading.
Finally, the medical facts are very well researched - somewhat morbidly so, but that's the nature of this topic, so be it.

The bad news is that this is not, as you might be thinking by reading the blurbs, a book about survivors' stories. It might have been very interesting to hear the stories from the words of real survivors... but the blunt reality is that often there are no survivors at all. In fact, the general pattern (with a couple of exceptions) of each story goes like: "X did this very foolish thing because X was an imbecile full of itself, so a condition arose... and then X died".

Surely an interesting read, especially if your interest in tanathology is not as deep as the one in good stories.

And I'd make this book mandatory reading for anyone into extreme sports. Just to get them scared. Naughty, ain't it?

Amazing work
This book is one of the best I've read in a long time. To the first reviewer, he clearly didn't understand this book, as is shown by the following reviews.

The author is brilliant, after the chapter on thirst I went to the fridge and drank two sodas right away. The writing is intelligent, you don't get the feeling he's trying to dumb it down to the lowest common denominator. There is just enough medical information to make you understand what is going on physically, but not overwhelm you.

I highly, highly suggest you read this book.

My Favorite Non-Fiction
I first read a chapter of this book in paddler magazine and the way Peter Stark described the drowning of a kayaker (Chapter 2: A River of One's Own) in detail right down to the amounts of oxygen remaining in his lungs at various periods of time. The entire book is written as en ewcellent blend of fact and fiction and while the scenarios are not true they are composites of true stories, and some of Stark's imagination, which gives them a realism that pure fiction can't match. The facts Stark gives are sound, he obviously did his homework and he even gives a bibliography so you can check out some of his sources. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get outside.

Outstanding Book
This book just blew me away. A wonderful blend of fact with realistic, fictional stories to make the points really come across. I couldn't put the book down until I finished it straight through the first time I read it. It's so well written that I've been able to enjoy rereading it several times. ... Read more

Book Description

A thorough update of the classic book on human movement in biomechanics
Biomechanics and Motor Control of Human Movement, Third Edition is the thoroughly updated and retitled version of the widely used Biomechanics of Human Movement. Integrating a common set of data and analyses with reliable material on biomechanical techniques, this up-to-date edition examines techniques used to measure and analyze all body movements as mechanical systems, including such everyday movements as walking.
This highly informative and accessible Third Edition treats each limb of the body as a separate segment connected at hinge joints. Actuators replace muscles, and torque motors replace the net effect of all muscles. Descriptions of movements are given as well as examinations of the cause of the movement at kinetic and electromyographic levels.
Biomechanics and Motor Control of Human Movement, Third Edition features:
* New material on 3D kinematics and kinetics emphasizing motor control
* Expanded coverage on image measurement systems
* New information on 3D center-of-mass estimates
* Models of the kinetics of balance control
* The latest research findings on fundamental relationships
* New biophysical models of EMG detection, as well as standards for recording and reporting
Complete with basic physics principles presented in capsule form for quick reference, Biomechanics and Motor Control of Human Movement, Third Edition is an essential resource for students and researchers. ... Read more

Book Description

Biomechanics applies the principles and rigor of engineering to the mechanical properties of living systems. This book integrates the classic fields of mechanics--statics, dynamics, and strength of materials--using examples from biology and medicine. Fundamentals of Biomechanics is excellent forteaching either undergraduates in biomedical engineering programs or health care professionals studying biomechanics at the graduate level. Extensively revised from a successful first edition, the book features a wealth of clear illustrations, numerous worked examples, and many problem sets. The book provides the quantitative perspective missing from more descriptive texts, without requiring an advanced background in mathematics. It will be welcomed for use in courses such as biomechanics and orthopedics, rehabilitation and industrial engineering, and occupational or sports medicine. ... Read more

Book Description

Patch clamping is a widely applied electrophysiological technique for the study of ion channels; membrane proteins that regulate the flow of ions across cellular membranes and therefore influence the physiology of all cells.

Patch Clamping aims to cover the basic principles and practical applications of this important technique. Starting with a review of the history of patch clamping, the text then goes on to cover the basic principles, platforms, equipment and environmental control, and will also include coverage of preparation types, recording modes and analysis of results.

• This book will explain the basic principles and practical application of patch clamp electrophysiology.
• Written in a non-technical style to ensure its broad appeal to novice users
• Takes a practical approach
• This self-contained guide provides everything a practising patch clamp electrophysiologist needs to know to master this technique, including an overview of membrane biophysics, standard experimental design, data analysis, and technical concerns

Reviews (1)

The first of its kind
I'm giving this book a high rating because it fills a niche for which no other text exists: An absolute beginner's guide to patch-clamping. Yes, you could read Neher & Sakmann's hefty "Single Channel Recording" but, for the complete novice patch-clamper, it's a bit overwhelming.

So, you walk into a patch-clamp lab, there's a million different things on the rig and you're feeling very confused. The microscope is much more complex than the microscope you remember from high school, there's cabling literally everywhere, and everybody keeps mentioning how important it is not to disturb the "voodoo" shielding.

Where do you start? What do all those instruments do? Will I ever patch a cell on my own? This is the book for you.

The book does an excellent job explaining the main components on a patch-clamp rig (and advice for setting up your own if you're just starting up a lab) and gives detailed instructions on whole-cell patch clamp techniques. (I have not evaluated the single-channel techniques but they too seem quite well written.) Also, many simple "equivalent circuit" diagrams are given so that you can understand what you're measuring. You will patch successfully after reading this book!

My only criticism is that the book is a bit skimpy on what to do after you've got the cell patched. Only a few voltage-clamp techniques are explored and there is very little on experiments using dual recordings.

Otherwise, it's an excellent book. If you're new to patch-clamping, this is (literally) the only book for you. ... Read more

Book Description

Provides students with a thorough grounding in those aspects of cardiovascular physiology that are crucial to understanding clinical medicine. A perfect review for the USMLE Step 1, the Fifth Edition features updated sections on muscle contractile processes and membrane potential, a new appendix with normal values for major cardiovascular variables, and updated study questions and case presentations. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This book is good!
This book presents CV physiology very well. It highlights all the important concepts of the subject and includes good examples and adequate diagrams. The material is presented in a clear fashion. I wish I had this book during my medical physiology course, but I am glad I have it now and I plan on reading it a couple of times for Step I review. The only thing this book could use are some charts and tables, but in conjunction with BRS Physiology, I feel like I can master this subject for the boards.

Everything you would want to know about the heart!!
This book provides all the necessary information for anyone to understand the cardiovascular system. The diction used by the authors is superb, in that anyone, not just scientists or medical students, can easily understand the pathways described. The descriptions can get a little detailish, but it all comes around after a second or third time through. That is really the only setback of the book.
The information in the book is organized to help connect different ideas, a concept so incredibly important for the cardiovascular system.
I read this book in four days for a class I took, but really this book could be for anyone who is interested in learning about the cardiovascular system. I definitely recommend it to anyone interested. ... Read more

Book Description

With the clarity, insight, and sheer exuberance of language that make her one of The New York Times's premier stylists, Pulitzer Prize-winner Natalie Angier lifts the veil of secrecy from that most enigmatic of evolutionary masterpieces, the female body.Angier takes readers on a mesmerizing tour of female anatomy and physiology that explores everything from organs to orgasm, and delves into topics such as exercise, menopause, and the mysterious properties of breast milk.

A self-proclaimed "scientific fantasia of womanhood." Woman ultimately challenges widely accepted Darwinian-based gender stereotypes.Angier shows how cultural biases have influenced research in evolutionary psychology (the study of the biological bases of behavior) and consequently lead to dubious conclusions about "female nature." such as the idea that women are innately monogamous while men are natural philanderers.

But Angier doesn't just point fingers; she offers optimistic alternatives and transcends feminist polemics with an enlightened subversiveness that makes for a joyful, fresh vision of womanhood.Woman is a seminal work that will endure as an essential read for anyone intersted in how biology affects who we are?as women, as men, and as human beings. ... Read more

Reviews (122)

Terrific Information, Richly Delivered
Reading 'Woman: An Intimate Geography' is a bit like eating a decadently rich chocolate cake. Each chapter delivers information and insight that's nourishing, delicious, and -- almost -- more than I could consume in one sitting. This book offers a wealth of information delivered with gorgeous language, quirky insights, critical observations, telling stories and wry humor.

It's a fascinating and provocative read. Natalie Angier's language is as vividly descriptive and as compelling as the wide-ranging content she conveys. 'Woman' is a terrific source of concepts to ponder and ideas to seed lively conversations. I was repeatedly fascinated by new-to-me 'factoids', and I particularly enjoyed the personal stories, from the author herself and other interesting women, that put faces on the facts and analysis.

I recommend this book highly to anyone who loves a good read, who harbors curiosity about biology and life, and who likes to think. Enjoy!

Woman, An Intimate Geography
This is one of those books that I am considering buying for every woman I know: young, old, of all creeds, races, and religions.... even after completing it I am STILL floored by its appropriate, humorous, scientific, lyrical, and profound words.  It is empowering without any negativism.  There is not a shread of male-bashing in this work of art.   Natalie Angier is a science writer for the New York Times and her work is infused with just enough science to make all the fascinating issues she covers comprehensible to any and everyone who reads this book.   She covers the female body like no one ever has, and I don't just mean the chapters on breasts, the uterus, and the ovaries, but the hormones, the menstrual cycles, nursing babies, menopause, exercise, chemistry, and the psychology of being a woman.  I wish so much that this amazing piece of work had been around when I was 18 and wondering what the hell was WRONG with me! (nothing. apparently.  But who can tell an 18 year old anything.... maybe if I could have read it.....).  Angiers carefully weaves together the myths, the legends, the cultures, and even the misogyny from where we ALL come and gracefully and humorously meshes them with the studies, the sciences, the theories and the facts, and gives the reader an entire body of work on all of the issues about ourselves we are curious about.   It is book that teaches you something fascinating about how and why you are and work and play and love.  One of the themes that surrepticiously repeats in this book is the completely normal, completely natural, "you are SO ok - it's laughable to think otherwise" theme.  Women are complex and complicated creatures and we owe that to this magnificent temple called the body and we now have all the evidence and joy in this book to know that.

Journalistic Examination of Woman-ness
Even though I haven't actually read this book in a couple of years, I constantly refer to it and recommend it to any woman I know. Angier's holistic examination of all things female--from biology to mythology (and/or nasty rumors)--encourages both pride and amazement in the female body and psyche. If you're female, you definately *need* to read Angier's book, which should be required reading in high school.

Outstanding science writing
This book a wonderful combination of science, opinion, and well-honed wit - the wit and opinion being so much better for being so well based in fact. The writing is filled with first-person passion: not the grim, militant kind, but affection that can afford a good laugh at its subject. Best of all, Angier's affection for her topic (herself included) seems equally based on romanticism and research.

Being in a species with two sexes is interesting, but news from the other side is rarely balanced, complete, or even comprehensible. I value Angier's eloquence and clarity. I also value her ability to incorporate new information into her views, instead of shouting down whatever doesn't match some political manifesto.

The only fault I find in this book is that there is not more of it. The years since she wrote the book have added intriguing facts to the pile such as the genes in embryonic brains that express differently in male and female, long before hormonal effects take hold. Even when "Woman" was written, though, there was plenty of information about matrilineal mitochondria that she could have used - it would have enriched her discussion of genetics. Also, she omitted discussion of the relatively rare women who succeed in the hard sciences. Keeping with her tone, there would have been no need to compare them to the men in the field. They would have been interesting enough in their own right.

I am not a woman myself, just an admirer, companion, co-worker, and occasional visitor. I was very happy to see a writer who not only has such agreeable views, but brings such a wealth of knowledge to the discussion and brings herself, too. Brava!

I am WOMAN...
I love this book. From the history of hysterectomy to the evolution of the breasts, this book covers at least a thousand things you (especially if you're a woman, too) really ought to know about biological womanhood. Even better than that, it's written by a (female) science writer who can really write, and while it does at times get difficult (well, it's a science book), having to reread a paragraph every once in a while won't kill you -- in fact, it'll help you understand yourself.

Better still, this is an empowering book. Natalie Angier is no 1960s feminist theorist; she's a thoroughly modern lady scientifically pointing out why the female body/mind is different, similar, complicated beyond our wildest dreams, ultimately beautiful and eminently worthy of praise.

Drawing on anthropology (my thing, so I loved that), biology, psychology, genetics, and a host of other fields, Ms. Angier introduces facts, fallacies, theories, hypotheses, and the data itself, and while she sometimes draws her own conclusions, a great deal is left for the reader to make up her (or his -- men can read this book too!) own mind. She includes a healthy dose of speculation, but -- and this is crucial -- she recognizes in the text that she is speculating, she points out the actual data, and again she leaves us to agree with her, modify her ideas, or not.

Bottom line: WOMAN is a treat and a half. ... Read more

Book Description

Human Physiology is intended for the one-semester Human Physiology course often taken by allied health and other biology students. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

NO COMMENT
HI.. im astudent in yarmouk university in jordan (biology deprtment) ..i have acopy for this book but i wanna to own another copy ..because i cant find it here in jordan ....i will thank u if u sent to me any reply for my request.... and i will give u my e_mail ... thanx alot . ... Read more

Book Description

foreword by James L. McClelland

The goal of computational cognitive neuroscience is to understand how the brain embodies the mind by using biologically based computational models comprising networks of neuronlike units. This text, based on a course taught by Randall O'Reilly and Yuko Munakata over the past several years, provides an in-depth introduction to the main ideas in the field. The neural units in the simulations use equations based directly on the ion channels that govern the behavior of real neurons, and the neural networks incorporate anatomical and physiological properties of the neocortex. Thus the text provides the student with knowledge of the basic biology of the brain as well as the computational skills needed to simulate large-scale cognitive phenomena.

The text consists of two parts. The first part covers basic neural computation mechanisms: individual neurons, neural networks, and learning mechanisms. The second part covers large-scale brain area organization and cognitive phenomena: perception and attention, memory, language, and higher-level cognition. The second part is relatively self-contained and can be used separately for mechanistically oriented cognitive neuroscience courses. Integrated throughout the text are more than forty different simulation models, many of them full-scale research-grade models, with friendly interfaces and accompanying exercises. The simulation software (PDP++, available for all major platforms) and simulations can be downloaded free of charge from the Web. Exercise solutions are available, and the text includes full information on the software.

More about the book. Download software and simulations ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A new paradigm
In this book, research themes, which include perception, memory, language as well as high-level cognition, are explained in terms of computation. Their theory is based on brain science, computer science, and psychology. Though the authors speculate about the functions of each part of the brain and the relation among them to some extent, the authors propose a new paradigm to existing sciences. Their integrative approach and method are very simulative, and I've got a lot of hints from this book. But I don't need the usageof particular software, PDP++ in such a theoretical book. The authors explain and demonstrate their models and theories using PDP++ at the end of each chapter. If you want to study how to use PDP++ as well as their theories, this book will be extremely good one.

A new paradigm
In this book, research themes including perception, memory, and language as well as high-level cognition are explained in terms of computation. Their theories are based on brain science, computer science, and psychology. Though the authors speculate about the functions of the brain and the relation among them to some extent, the authors propose a new paradigm to existing sciences. Their integrative approach and method are very simulative, and I've got a lot of hints from this book. But I don't need the usage of particular software, PDP++ in such a theoretical book. The authors explain and demonstrate their models and theories using PDP++ at the end of each chapter. If you want to study how to use PDP++ as well as their theories, this book will be truly excellent. ... Read more

Book Description

"Dazzling...A feast. Absorbing and elegantly written, it tells of theorigins of life on earth, describes its variety and charaacter, and culminates in a discussion of human nature and teh complex traces ofhumankind's evolutionary past...It is an amazing story masterfully told."
FINANCIAL TIMES (LONDON)
World renowned scientist Carl Sagan and acclaimed author Ann Druyan have written a ROOTS for the human species, a lucid and riveting account of how humans got to be the way we are. It shows with humor and drama that many of our key traits--self-awareness, technology, family ties, submission to authority, hatred for those a little different from ourselves, reason, and ethics--are rooted in the deep past, and illuminated by our kinship with other animals. Astonishing in its scope, brilliant in its insights, and an absolutely compelling read, SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS is a triumph of popular science.
... Read more

Reviews (35)

Understanding ourselves...
...and the reasons why we do what we do as humans --that's the basic concept of this book which, as most books written by Sagan, is easy to understand and read.

He starts with the big bang, followed by one cell organism , gradually taking the reader into a tale of how it is that we as a species came to be. It gives plausible explanations of so many of the things that religion cannot explain. Biology, human nature and sociology are explained in a simple but interesting way . It leaves the human species uncovered on just what it is that makes us. Books such as Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors enriched my life. Sagan and Druyan were a great team and I for one miss Carl Sagan and his wise approach in explaining science.

Carl Sagan breathes humanity into the souls of his readers
From DNA, Darwin, and Huxley to dominance, submission, and primates this book has it all. Carl Sagan was simply a shaman of words and wisdom, while being a prophet of science and rational thought. Shadow's of forgotten ancestors is Sagan's finest hour with unwavering skepticism and a passion unparalleled in the scientific community. I have read this book cover to cover twice, and still feel as though it will have more insight to offer as I begin to read it a third time. The book reveals the egocentric nature of man and his attitudes toward animals as lesser organisms based on ancient fears of his own past . Animals are very complex and intelligent, a sentiment that is for some a deplorable idea with atheist and Darwinian connotations. Sagan simply diffuses the idea to his readers that animals have the ability to feel complex emotions and acquire learned behaviors from parents, just as humans. It is not the author's intention to drag humans through the mud of the animal world, but, rather, lift the animals up to the level of humans by showing our similarities which include: reproductive strategies, behavior patterns, altruism, love, and the perpetuation of the species. Sagan offers an alternative view of the world, a world in which man shares the Earth with other organisms and accepts their differences rather than condemning them. Such an optimistic belief in a world that breeds hate, bias, and indifference. Anyone who reads this book and still believes man is superior to animals and holds a special place in the world, missed the entire point and needs their compassion spoon fed to them.

Have You Ever Wondered Who We Are?
After I read The Dragons of Eden, I learned that Carl Sagan explored more than cosmology. He also explored evolutionary biology-stimulated by his wife, the biologist Ann Druyan. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a book that Sagan and Druyan wrote together. It is much more scientifically rigorous and sophisticated than The Dragons of Eden, and deals not with the evolution of the tripartite brain, but on the evolution of consciousness itself. Druyan and Sagan write that we are like babies left in a basket on a doorstep, never knowing and always wondering what our ancestry is. For me, the most influential of the book's explorations involve the study of the levels of consciousness in other animals, aside from the human animal. Through study after study, many amusing and all interesting, Druyan and Sagan emphasize that the difference between the consciousness of the human animal and other animals is "a difference of degree rather than kind." Indeed, some of the studies indicate that some of the other animals may have consciousness that surpasses in degree that that of the human animal. The book stresses that we will not understand who we are until we view ourselves as part of a continuum, and the book also explorers the history of human resistance to this idea. One or two of the chapters were too difficult for me to understand as a non-scientist, but I was basically able to understand the book while only skimming the difficult chapters about DNA construction and such. It was nice to know that rigorous science was part of the book. This is one of those books that will change your outlook on the world.

My favorite book
I had a fundamentalist upbringing and even was a missionary for a couple of years. I'm now 49. Twenty years ago the Cosmos TV series changed my life. I've since read all of Sagan's books. While all are good, I think the most valuable is Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors and the second most valuable is Demon Haunted World. Also, the photograph of earth taken by the Voyager spacecraft from beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto, in Chapter 1 of Pale Blue Dot, is something everyone should see.

All my life I wondered why we behave the way we do and why things are the way they are. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is the most helpful thing I have found.

For me, parts of the first third of the book were a little dry, but it became a livelier read after that.

enlightening
Sagan/Druyan deconstruct the Western Chrisitan Myth of Intrinsic Human superiority over their mammal kinfolk. They show how we may be cleverer, but not that much different then our primate
cousins. Sobering, intelligent and beautiful. Recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com

David Bodanis, author of The Secret House and TheSecret Garden, applies his wit and curiosity to another invisiblerealm: the insides of our bodies. Bodanis wraps his thought-provokinginvestigation of the natural world in the story of a family's typicalday. We follow the baby's explorations of the house, go out with thefamily to the mall, and experience the daughter's first kiss. Ofcourse, your mind still might be reeling from breakfast and the orangejuice--"a liquid which contains embalming fluid, varnish solvent,vinegar, and nail polish remover ... and a certain amount of realorange juice, too."

All that microscopic reality--the benign bacteria feasting on ourfaces, the widening of the pupils as Baby's gaze meets Mom's or Dad's("the tiny muscles controlling the pupils in the dad's eyessuddenly tug wider. Males who don't have children rarely show thisuniversal sign of interest.")--triggers a host of facts, bothfascinating and appalling; that aforementioned parental gaze seguesinto an explanation of the ingredients of baby food ("boiled andskimmed pigs' feet extract is often used, though in a pinch the scoopedinner pith of discarded fruit can be added, too. Chalk is often addednext"). And that's the least of it...

Bodanis's scrutiny is fortified with more than two dozen colorphotographs from the Science Photo Library that show the world we livein but, thankfully, never see. It's amusing, disturbing, and cheerfulin the face of "Ugh!" and "Ah!"--the perfect bookto trigger lively conversations. One thing's for certain: you'll neveragain complain that your ordinary day is just too ordinary. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Incredible journey into things we don't see
This is one of those books, which is highly informative, entertaining and has "repeat" value. I read this book twice in succession and even though i rented it from the library, i feel so compelled by the information in it that i am purchasing a copy for my bookshelf . I know, i will refer to it often to reaffirm to myself ,nothing is ordinary as it seems.
For eg: Postage stamps, those tiny square pieces which we lick , stick and forget. I quote how this book unravels it " Postage stamps are an intricate layered sandiwch of chemicals. The glue is a true masterpiece of the chemist's art. Think of a problem. Not only does the glue have to be sticky enough to hold onto a envelope, but it has not to be so sticky that it grabs permanently on your tongue. It has to do this with onlythe amount of salive we're happy to dribble off and then it has to stick to the envelope firmly, but still you give you a moment or two to readjust its position. Finally, even once the chemists have worked out something that's tongue attractive and humidity resistant and briefly free-sliding, they still have have to throw it out if it tastes bad. Or offends anybody's religion. Ir is too expensive. Or is too high in calories."

This is just a sample. The books jumps and hops in a free wheeling away across many varied aspects of our lives, commenting and shedding light on them. For eg, Chicken breast is found white in the fast food centers, stuffed in salads or other food menu. WHy? Normally food tends to be green or reddish or brown, but very rarely white. This is because of the sedentary lifestyle of the modern-day chicken. The flight muscles in the breast don't get used much, so there's no reason for oxygen sotring red blood cells to be soaked darkly through them. AS a result, the breast comes out white.

One thing you will definitely remember after reading this book is that you are never alone. Tuck yourself in the cleanest of bedsheets? Even then, there will be around 40000 pillow mites (ghastly miniature Rhino look alikes) crawling over the pillow.

Right now, on our faces are armies of demodex mites. Harmless creatures feasting on our skin, unvisible to us.

The pictures in the book are incredible. Read and enjoy!

cheers!

A very interesting read...
I cannot elaborate much further than the other reviews already have. Simply stated, this book makes you think about everyday things in a different way. I am glad I purchased and read it. Yes, the photographs are amazing.

Fabulously frightening
This book provides a fascinating look into what goes on in our homes daily. The descriptions of what we eat, where we sleep, and how our bodies protect us from (too much) harm are incredible. Bodanis has researched nearly every aspect of family life, and explains to us what it all means. My only complaint about this book is that it doesn't have enough photographs. Those that it does have are splendid, however.

mind blowing!
It's not often you read a book that opens your mind to entire new worlds. Reading this made me feel like an explorer who has just discovered a world hidden in plain sight. Every page made me think "WOW"! This is a mind-expanding book.

Funny, entertaining, informative - a great read - buy it
The Secret Family by David Bodanis is a popular science book with a difference - it is funny and entertaining, as well as being informative. He has a talent for exposing hidden worlds in the most mundane of everyday activities: the food we eat, our shopping routines, family relationships and the way our bodies work. Plus he has the most amazing colour photographs of soap bubbles, scouring pads, eggshells, sweat droplets, CDs, and salt etc, magnified so much that they expose a different and beautiful world.

He takes an ordinary family - parents, teenage daughter, ten year old son, baby and a dog - and traces them through a lazy Saturday breakfast and visit to the mall. After reading this you will never look at your supermarket orange juice or danish pastry with quite the same relish. You will eye your friends and family suspiciously as they carry huge populations of microscpic mites (demodex) on their eyelashes regardless of how clean they are and when two people kiss, the mites intermingle and new populations are born! Bodanis scatters his narrative with interesting curiosities - how the yellow sticky notes were invented, the origins of the doberman, the arbitrary address system for mail in parts of Japan, and how supermarkets use synthetic smells, colour and music to get us to walk slowly, buy more, and eat faster.

I'm a fan of Bodanis, and recommend his earlier books too (The Secret House and The Secret Garden). So if you want to give yourself a treat, read this book, and then buy one for a friend. ... Read more

Book Description

The First Steps in Seeing is about the eyes, and how they capture an image and convert it to the neural messages that ultimately result in visual experience.

A full appreciation of how the eyes work is rooted in diverse areas of science—optics; biochemistry and photochemistry; molecular biology, cell biology, neurobiology, and evolutionary biology; psychology and psychophysics.

The findings related to vision from any one of these fields are not difficult to understand in themselves, but, in order to be clear and precise, each discipline has developed its own set of words and conceptual relations—in effect, its own language—and for those wanting a broad introduction to vision these separate languages can present more of an impediment to understanding than an aid. However, what lies beneath these words usually has a beautiful simplicity, and it is the aim of The First Steps in Seeing to describe how we see in a manner that is understandable to all.

In this book, the use of technical terms is restricted, and several hundred full-color illustrations ensure that the terms that are used are associated with a picture, icon, or graph that visually expresses their meaning. Experimental findings have been recast in terms of the natural world whenever possible, and broad themes bring together lines of thought that are often treated separately.

Fourteen main chapters form a "thread" that tells the main scientific story and can be read without specialized knowedge or reliance on other sources. This thread is linked to fourteen discussions which explore certain crucial topics in greater depth. Notes link the material presented in the thread and in the special topics discussions to important review articles and seminal research papers.

The First Steps in Seeing is an innovative, authoritative work that belongs in the library of anyone with an interest in visual perception. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Seeing at many levels
There are many books on vision, but this one is truly unique. The illustrations, organization, and writing make it an example of everything a good text book should be. It can be read as an introduction to vision, to neurobiology, or simply to biology. The real beauty of this text is that it makes this elegant field of biology accessible to so many. A natural progression of chapters leads you through the field of vision, while a series of interludes and topics help you think through fundamental issues such as scale, measurement, and kinetics. Finally, an epilogue does what so few texts do: it outlines what we don't know! I read this during a week-long vactation in Tuscany, and it went down like the fine wine of the region.

A masterful, lucid explanation of what the human eye does.
Whoever you are and whatever your line of work: if you are interested in how your eyes work, this book will fascinate you as much (or more) than the hottest bestseller. The author, Bob Rodieck, spent much of the last decade of his career in science assembling and designing this amazingly lucid, accessible, and sophisticated account of what humans do with those photons that are lucky enough to hit their retinas. The figures are works of art--informative without being cluttered. The book is more than just an account of how the eye work: it is also a case study of the scientific method, with numerous wise asides on how to think about, and solve, scientific problems. The publisher, Sinauer Associates, is noted for careful editing and beautiful book production, and this 562-page book is a superb example of the craft that belongs right next to Edward R. Tufte's classic "Visual Explanations." If you are teaching a course in Sensory Psychology or Neuroscience (any branch), quick, get this book. Just the appendix material is worth the price. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Good, but it's not Netter
I used Grant's Atlas of Anatomy during my gross anatomy class in medical school because it was the one recommended by the staff. It was fairly good, but not great. The illustrative pages on the twelve cranial nerves are perhaps the best. A few years after finishing that class, I found that Frank Netter M.D. had finally come out with an atlas of human anatomy. If your budget is limited (and most medical students have limited finances), buy Frank Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy because it is hands down the best atlas available. I wish it would have been around when I was struggling through first year gross anatomy class. Grant's Atlas may supplement it to some degree if you are looking for a second presentation for variety, but Netter's is without question unequaled. Beyond this, if you ever decide to specialize in a medical field involving surgery - neurosurgery, gynecology, general surgery, orthopedics etc. - you will have opportunity to continue using Netter's A! tlas after medical school, whereas Grant's Atlas isn't very good in this regard. In short: buy Netter. If you want another text to go with the first, Grant's Atlas isn't bad.

Grants Atlas of Anatomy
Comparisons are often made between Netter's Atlas and Grant's. Both are highly useful in the laboratory and for at home study. However, Grant's is clearly superior in the completeness of its treatment of what is really useful knowledge for the professional student. This is quite evident in the treatment of the head and neck where views that make learning of these two regions well are present in Grant's but absent in Netter's. For example, the posterior pharyngeal region in Netter is very incompletely represented. Further, the inclusion of various radiological modalities, comprehensive treatment of all regions, presentation of anomalies and structe from several different views, and descriptions accompanying the figures in Grant's Atlas are superior virtually absent in Netter's Atlas. Although Netter's illustrations are as accurate as are Grant's, and are all works of art, they are often overlabeled and, above all, do not represent well what the student is going to see in cadaver dissection as does Grants. I think that another competitor of Grant's Atlas, the Rohen and Yokochi atlas, is also a good atlas, provided you don't suffer from astigmatism and have to deal with the white labels used in this atlas to identify structures. Like Grants, however, this atlas shows the cadaver as it really is in the laboratory.

This is no Netter's.
If you have a choice, buy Netter's Atlas instead. Even if this book is required for your anatomy course, get Netter's. This Atlas was required for our medical school anatomy course and the entire class hated it.

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY -- BUY NETTER
Having just completed my first semester of medical school, I can confidently say Netter is far and away the better anatomy atlas for the student of Gross Anatomy. Grant's atlas is poorly organized, not as well drawn, not as detailed, and actually leaves out certain parts of the human anatomy (unless the lack of organization was the culprit in my inability to find certain things). My entire class despises Grant's atlas. Please, don't waste your money. Buy a Netter atlas.

Agree that Grant's is not Netter's
I am a medical student in Ohio- I bought this book because it was recommended by the school- I kept hearing the other student's talk about how great Netter's atlas was so I bought it and haven't been sorry since- ... Read more

Book Description

This text is a fully integrated summary of all aspects of clinical neurophysiology.It is written by nationally recognized experts who work together at Mayo Clinic.All the authors are heavily involved in the teaching of clinical neurophysiology to residents in neurology, neurosurgery and physical medicine, and to poet-residency fellows in EEG, EMG, autonomic disorder, sleep disorders, peripheral nerve diseases, and muscle diseases. The first section is a review of the basics of clinical neurophysiology.The second considers the assessment of disease by anatomical system.The third explains how clinical neurophysiologic techniques are used in the clinical assessment of diseases of the nervous system. This thoroughly revised Second Edition includes new approaches and a new chapter on the clinical neurophysiology of pain. The clinical problems in which each of the clinical neurophysiologic approaches can add to the diagnosis and management of neurologic disease are detailed, especially the assessment of clinical symptom complexes with electroencephalography (EEG).The discussions of pediatric EEG disorders, ambulatory EEG, new equipment and digital analyses, magneto-EEG, electromyographic (EMG) techniques, motor unit number estimates, myoclonus on surface EMG, segmental sympathetic reflex, and postural normotension have been expanded. Chapters on EMG quantified and single fiber EMG have been reorganized, and major revisions have been made in the discussion of sensory potentials, somatosensory evoked potentials, acoustic reflex testing, cardiovagal function, physiologic testing of sleep, and assessment of sleep disorders.New approaches are discussed in each of the four chapters on monitoring neural function during surgery, particularly with motor evoked potentials. ... Read more

Book Description

The identification of even the smallest human fetal bone can be vital to the success of a criminal investigation or to the identification of the deceased.This book examines every bone in the human body from its earliest embryological stage through to maturity and is profusely illustrated with superb bone drawings at every stage of development.The ability to identify every component of the developing skeleton is of core relevance not only to the forensic profession but also to clinicians, skeletal biologists and physical anthropologists.

KEY FEATURES:
*Identifies every component of the developing skeleton
*Provides detailed analysis of juvenile skeletal remains and the development of bone as a tissue
*Summarizes key morphological stages in the development of every bone ... Read more

Book Description

Mathematical Physiology provides an introduction into physiology using the tools and perspectives of mathematical modeling and analysis. It describes ways in which mathematical theory may be used to give insights into physiological questions and how physiological questions can in turn lead to new mathematical problems. The book is divided into two parts, the first dealing with the fundamental principles of cell physiology, and the second with the physiology of systems. In the first part, after an introduction to basic biochemistry and enzyme reactions, the authors discuss volume control, the membrane potential, ionic flow through channels, excitability, calcium dynamics, and electrical bursting. This first part concludes with spatial aspects such as synaptic transmission, gap junctions, the linear cable equation, nonlinear waves propagation in neurons, and calcium waves. In the second part, the human body is studied piece by piece, beginning with an introduction to electrocardiology, followed by the physiology of the circulatory system, blood, muscle, hormones, and kidneys. Finally, the authors examine the digestive system and the visual system, ending with the inner ear. This book will be of interest to researchers, to graduate students and advanced undergraduate students in applied mathematics who wish to learn how to build and analyze mathematical models and to become familiar with new areas of application, as well as to physiologists interested in learning about theoretical approaches to their work. The inclusion of numerous exercises and models could be used to add further interest and challenge to traditional courses taught by applied mathematicians, bioengineers, and physiologists. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

All of it fascinating....
This book is an excellent overview of the major research into the mathematics of physiological processes. The first part of the book covers cellular physiology beginning with a discussion of biochemical reactions in the first chapter. Some of the applications of dynamical systems are nicely illustrated here, especially bifurcation theory.

Applications of the diffusion equation follow in the next chapter on cellular homeostasis. The Nernst-Planck electrodiffusion equation is discussed but not derived, and is solved in the constant field approximation.

This is complicated somewthat in the next chapter on membrane ion channels, where the potential across the membrane is not assumed to have a constant gradient. There is a discussion of channel blocking drugs in the last section, but unfortunately it is too short. This is an important area of application, with the experimental validation of the mathematical results of upmost importance.

The Hodgkin-Huxley and the FitzHugh-Nagumo equations dominate the next chapter on electrical signaling in cells. The phase space analysis of these models is discussed, along with an interesting treatment of the excitability of cardiac cells in the Appendix of the chapter.

A very well-written treatment, along with helpful diagrams, of calcium dynamics is given in Chapter 5. The authors show how ignoring the fast variables and transients lead one to a solution of they dynamical problem of the receptor model.

Phase space analysis is used extensively in the next chapter on electrical bursting, with emphasis on bursting in pancreatic beta-cells. An interesting discussion on the classification of bursting oscillations is given purely in terms of bifurcation theory.

That synaptic transimission is quantal in nature is one of the topics of the next chapter on intercellular communication. This is the first time in the book that probabilistic methods are introduced into the modeling. The authors quote some very old references on the experimental verification of the quantal model, leaving the reader wondering if more modern experiments have been done. In calculating the effective diffusion coefficients, the authors introduce the technique of homogenization, and give a explanation of the rationale behind the technique. The strategy of determining the behavior at a particular scale without solving completely the details at a finer scale is one that has proven to be quite productive, especially in physics.

The use of partial differential equations is increased in the next chapter on electrical flow in neurons, with the linear cable equation playing the dominant role. The authors use transform methods to obtain the solutions in the main text and exercises, giving references for the reader not familiar with these techniques.

The nonlinear cable equation is the subject of the next chapter, with traveling waves solutions of the bistable equation given the main emphasis. Shooting methods are employed in the solution of this equation, and the authors also treat the more difficult case of the discrete bistable equation.

Wave propagation in higher dimensions is the subject of the next chapter, with spiral waves discussed along with a brief discussion of scroll waves.

The fascinating subject of cardiac propagation is the subject of Chapter 11. The mathematical techniques are not much more complicated, but mathematicians coming to cardiac biology for the first time will need to pay attention to the details. One of the most interesting subjects of the book is treated in Chapter 13 on cell function regulation. Mathematical models of the G1 and G2 checkpoint processes are given.

Part two of the book emphasizes the mathematical modeling of the biological systems, rather than at the cellular level. This part begins with a consideration of how cellular activity can be coordinated to produce a regular heartbeat and how failure can occur. Interestingly, a Schrodinger-like equation appears when linearizing the FitzHugh-Nagumo equations for oscillating cells. And, interestingly, dynamical systems via circle maps appear in the model of the AV modal signal. This is followed by a lengthy and fascinating discussion of the mathematics of the circulatory system. Unfortunately, the discussion on the dangers of high blood pressure is not justified by any mathematical models in the book. It would have been very interesting to see a model developed that would predict the effects of hypertension on the heart, kidneys, etc and one that would be compared with historical and clinical data.

The next chapters discuss physiology of the blood, respiration, and muscles. A very interesting discussion of hormone physiology and mammal ovulation is given. The mathematical models of the kidneys and gastrointestinal systems are very detailed and very enlightening for individuals not in these fields.

The book ends with chapters on the physiology of sight and hearing. The discussion of the light reflex mechanism is very interesting as the authors use linear stability analysis. The oscillations of the basilar membrane in the inner ear are good reading for the physicist.

This book would be of great interest to mathematicians who are entering the field of computational physiology or computational biologists who need an understanding of the modeling required. Very captivating reading........

Graduate level Mathematical Physiology text
This is a very good graduate level text on mathematical physiology. It covers a broad range of topics from cardiac electrophysiology to the cell cycle. The authors have written the closest thing to a mathematical version of Guyton's Human Physiology text that I have seen. The prospective reader of this text should be aware that it assumes a background in PDE ,ODE, and asymptotics, as well as introductory molecular Biology. The structure of DNA, RNA, and the central dogma DNA to RNA to Protein are described in less than 3 pages without diagrams. Terms from Biochemistry are used at times without definition or explanation. Each Chapter concludes with a very nice collection of interesting problems. Supplement the text with the outstanding elementary text by Leah - Edelstein - Keshet , lecture notes by C. Peskin ,the applied math texts by Keener and Cole, Molecular biology texts by Lodish et al or Baltimore et al ,and of course Guyton's Human Physiology for a fascinating introduction to mathematical biology with an emphasis on differential equation models in physiology. ... Read more