The World's Best Book Summaries
Why hasn’t evolution prevented sickness and disease? How can Darwinian medicine explain why we get sick? The reason we still get sickness and disease despite evolution is that the body must make careful compromises. Sometimes, the thing that causes a disease is or was helpful to us at some point in time. Continue reading to learn why we get sick despite evolutionary advances.
Why do humans share one input for both breathing and eating? Why do we still have an appendix? And why are our retinas inside out? The answer to all these questions is simple: bad evolutionary designs. Over time, evolution makes slow changes to our bodies, but it does not erase the old designs, leaving us with bad or useless traits. Keep reading to learn more about human evolutionary legacies.
Why isn’t evolutionary medicine taught in medical school? How could understanding how our bodies came to be this way help us to accept diseases and inspire hope? Medical schools prefer to teach using science that they can test in a lab rather than evolutionary medicine. However, evolutionary medicine can explain some attributes that modern medicine cannot. Keep reading for more on evolutionary medicine.
Why is the female lifespan longer than a male’s? Why do women go through menopause? These questions about human senescence, or aging, can be explained through Darwinian medicine. Darwinism says that the human body prioritized reproductive health above all else. That means that it will prioritize short-term reproductive fitness over long-term sustainability. Keep reading to learn more about the process of senescence.
Why do humans age at the rate we do? What evolutionary factors play a role in the human aging process? Human aging is an unavoidable part of life. Over time, organ systems wear out and we become more susceptible to disease and injury. Find out why this process occurs and how it came to be this way through evolution. Continue reading to learn about human aging.
What’s a primitive brain? How can you use it to your advantage to learn new skills in your 20s? While we’re young, we still have what’s called a primitive brain. While a primitive brain can make it hard to regulate our emotions, it can also be a huge advantage and can help you learn and grow. Read more about the primitive brain and how it works.
Why can’t humans regenerate body parts? How does Darwinian medicine help us understand the body better? Some animals, like lizards and starfish, can regrow body parts. However, humans do not have this ability because the negative costs outweigh the positive ones. Continue on to learn the dangers of human body regeneration.
When should you have a baby? Should it be sooner rather than later? Everyone’s decision regarding if and when they want to start a family is different. But Meg Jay, the author of The Defining Decade, advises that everyone should be aware of their body’s limitations, and plan accordingly. Read more about what this means, and how to answer the question “when should you have a baby” for yourself.
How can you tell if a plant or animal is likely to be toxic? How have our bodies evolved to avoid toxins? The reason we’ve evolved a preference for variety in food is that too much of one type of food can lead to a buildup of toxins in the body. It may also be the reason why pregnant women tend to crave bland food in early pregnancy. Continue reading to learn how evolution protects against toxin exposure.
Why hasn’t evolution gotten rid of diseases and mental illness? How do genes impact health and disease? Unfortunately for humans, our bodies have evolved to prioritize reproduction above everything else. This means that diseases that affect us later in life are genetically ignored and mental illnesses that cause sexual aggression are prioritized. Keep reading to learn more about how genes impact our health.