Riddled with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites That Make Us Who We Are

By Marlene Zuk

Book Overview

We treat disease as our enemy. Germs and infections are things we battle. But what if we've been giving them a bum rap? From the earliest days of life on earth, disease has evolved alongside us. And its presence isn't just natural but is also essential to our health. Drawing on the latest research, Zuk answers a fascinating range of questions about disease: Why do men die younger than women? Why are we attracted to our mates? Why does the average male bird not have a penis? Why do we--as well as insects, birds, pigs, cows, goats, and even plants--get STDs? Why do we have sex at all, rather than simply splitting off copies of ourselves like certain geckos? And how is our obsession with cleanliness making us sicker? In this witty, engaging book, evolutionary biologist Zuk makes us rethink our instincts as she argues that disease is our partner, not our foe. Reconsider the fearsome parasite!

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156034689
• ISBN13: 9780156034685
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Disease is treated as an enemy to be eradicated - or should it be something more?

Disease is treated as an enemy to be eradicated - or should it be something more? Evolutionary biologist Marlene Zuk here argues that disease is our partner, not a foe: it's evolved alongside humans and is actually essential to health. The latest research and some unusual studies explores the role of disease in longevity, evolution, and the animal and insect as well as human worlds, using the author's on work on sexual selection...

Is sex necessary?

I can still close my eyes and see Thurber's little cartoon guy slouching dispiritedly past an embracing couple on the park bench, and asking his famous question. If he knew that most complex organisms evolved into two sexes because of parasites, he would probably have thrown his jacket over his head and screamed. Marlene Zuk, a professor of biology at the University of California, provides `parasites' as the answer to many...

Another Excellent Book on Parasites!

Parasites are fascinating from an evolutionary standpoint and knowledge about them, especially those that affect humans and their domestic animals, is quite practical as well. I have long been a fan of Robert Desowitz's writings on the subject and these were followed by Carl Zimmer's "Parasite Rex", another excellent (if somewhat scary) exposition. Now Marlene Zuk had added another well-written tome in "Riddled with Life:...

Humans and Parasites Have a History Together....

My life began with a years-long struggle against life-draining parasites (I refer to viruses and bacteria, not members of Congress). Unlike most kids, I spent most of my first decade making my parents wonder if I'd see another birthday. As you might suspect, this book is very interesting to me on a personal level. And that brings us to the question of whether this book would be interesting to you. If you have spent much of...

A Fabulous Read on a Rather Ignored Subject

If you are an extremely squeamish person, this may not be the book for you. On the other hand, if you share as I do, an intense curiosity about the natural world and all its inhabitants regardless of their status and contributions to the natural order, then I think you'll find "Riddled with Life" to be an exciting journey into an almost-ignored and little-known world of fascinating creatures. Marlene Zuk, a professor of biology...