Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Ebook336 pages3 hours
Spare Parts: In Praise of Your Appendix and Other Unappreciated Organs
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
A tribute to the parts that aren’t so spare after all . . . “A mesmerizing perspective . . . unparalleled information, both arcane and titillating” (Manhattan Book Review).
This book sheds light on human body parts once considered extraneous, but now proven to play an important role in our healthy survival. With wit and research-honed wisdom, health writer Carol Ann Rinzler explains in layman's language why we need “bonus” body parts such as:
The appendix, once derided as “the worm of the intestines,” but now believed to play an important role in our immune system
The coccyx, a.k.a. the “tailbone,” once considered the remnant of a human tail, but now considered the keystone of the boney pelvic arch where muscles meet and stabilize our seating
Wisdom teeth, that “extra” set of molars for which many “evolved” human jaws lack space, but that are still required by higher primates for extra chew power
Having highlighted the still-important parts, Rinzler adds a chapter on dispensables: parts that we can indeed happily give up. Along the way, Rinzler weaves in Darwin’s theories of evolution and shares insights on what the human body may be like millennia from now.
“Carol Ann Rinzler once again informs and entertains. She helps us see that evolution is a profound and powerful force of nature that produces things that work, but also produces some quirky and not-so-intelligently designed parts as well.” —Richard N. Gottfried, New York State Assembly Heath Committee Chair
“What a pleasure this book is to read! Rinzler has chosen a terrific topic, and carried it off with style and erudition.” —Sandra Opdycke, author of No One Was Turned Away
This book sheds light on human body parts once considered extraneous, but now proven to play an important role in our healthy survival. With wit and research-honed wisdom, health writer Carol Ann Rinzler explains in layman's language why we need “bonus” body parts such as:
The appendix, once derided as “the worm of the intestines,” but now believed to play an important role in our immune system
The coccyx, a.k.a. the “tailbone,” once considered the remnant of a human tail, but now considered the keystone of the boney pelvic arch where muscles meet and stabilize our seating
Wisdom teeth, that “extra” set of molars for which many “evolved” human jaws lack space, but that are still required by higher primates for extra chew power
Having highlighted the still-important parts, Rinzler adds a chapter on dispensables: parts that we can indeed happily give up. Along the way, Rinzler weaves in Darwin’s theories of evolution and shares insights on what the human body may be like millennia from now.
“Carol Ann Rinzler once again informs and entertains. She helps us see that evolution is a profound and powerful force of nature that produces things that work, but also produces some quirky and not-so-intelligently designed parts as well.” —Richard N. Gottfried, New York State Assembly Heath Committee Chair
“What a pleasure this book is to read! Rinzler has chosen a terrific topic, and carried it off with style and erudition.” —Sandra Opdycke, author of No One Was Turned Away
Unavailable
Read more from Carol Ann Rinzler
Controlling Cholesterol For Dummies Is It Safe to Kiss My Cat?: And Other Questions You Were Afraid to Ask Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nutrition For Dummies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLeonardo's Foot: How 10 Toes, 52 Bones, and 66 Muscles Shaped the Human World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Heartburn and Reflux For Dummies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNutrition For Canadians For Dummies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Spare Parts
Related ebooks
The Night Climbers of Cambridge Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Barn: The Lives, Landscape and Lost Ways of an Old Yorkshire Farm Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRock Pool: Extraordinary Encounters Between the Tides Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn Search of the Castaways Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Am Rembrandt's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ghost In The Garden: in search of Darwin’s lost garden Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lost Musicians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Herring Tales: How the Silver Darlings Shaped Human Taste and History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA School in South Uist: Reminiscences of a Hebridean School Master, 1890–1913 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everything Lost Is Found Again: Four Seasons in Lesotho Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrim, The Cartographer's Cat: The ship's cat who helped Flinders map Australia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSixty Degrees North Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost Birds Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEloquence of the Sardine: Extraordinary Encounters Beneath the Sea Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The History of the World in 100 Plants Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How High Can a Kangaroo Hop? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Little Book of Snow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Field of Cloth of Gold Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Backs of Tortoises: Darwin, the Galapagos, and the Fate of an Evolutionary Eden Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeyond The Pale: Folklore, Family, and the Mystery of Our Hidden Genes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Persuasion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Whale and the Supercomputer: On the Northern Front of Climate Change Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Aesop’s Animals: The Science Behind the Fables Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Morphotrophic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Library of Ice: Readings from a Cold Climate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Tour of Two Cities: 18th Century London and Paris Compared Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Great Highland Famine: Hunger, Emigration and the Scottish Highlands in the Nineteenth Century Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Tower at the Edge of the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Biology For You
Fantastic Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness, and Save the Planet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anatomy and Physiology For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dopamine Detox: Biohacking Your Way To Better Focus, Greater Happiness, and Peak Performance Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Anatomy 101: From Muscles and Bones to Organs and Systems, Your Guide to How the Human Body Works Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Obesity Code: the bestselling guide to unlocking the secrets of weight loss Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don't Have To Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Your Brain: A User's Guide: 100 Things You Never Knew Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Peptide Protocols: Volume One Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Will Make You Smarter: 150 New Scientific Concepts to Improve Your Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Emotional Blackmail: When the People in Your Life Use Fear, Obligation, and Guilt to Manipulate You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Winner Effect: The Neuroscience of Success and Failure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ (Revised Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Genius Kitchen: Over 100 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Make Your Brain Sharp, Body Strong, and Taste Buds Happy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Woman: An Intimate Geography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Blood of Emmett Till Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Woman Who Changed Her Brain: And Other Inspiring Stories of Pioneering Brain Transformation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Crack In Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related podcast episodes
Slime: A Gooey Natural History 0% found this document usefulThe Podcast S2, Ep2: Finding your path through story, romance, witchery, and Jane Austen 0% found this document usefulCeleste Ng: In conversation with Jordan Kisner 0% found this document usefulNassology (TAXIDERMY) with Allis Markham 0% found this document usefulS2 E3: The Palaeogene 0% found this document usefulFashioning Fiction with Author Natasha Lester 0% found this document usefulEpisode #274 – Curbing cars with Chris and Melissa Bruntlett: The Spokesmen Cycling Podcast 0% found this document usefulChildren's Literature: Ernie Rea and guests discuss religion in children's literature. 50% found this document usefulWendy Cope, poet: Wendy Cope, poet, shares her eight track choices with Lauren Laverne. 0% found this document usefulThe Long and Winding Road of Lace: Lace from Fashion to Art 0% found this document usefulEpisode #113: Modern Love--Lee Miller and Man Ray (Season 13, Episode 6) 0% found this document usefulAmy Liptrot at the Brontë Parsonage Museum 0% found this document useful
Related articles
An Archivist Sneezes on a Priceless Document. Then What? The AtlanticArticle
An Archivist Sneezes on a Priceless Document. Then What?
Jul 13, 2021
6 min readHow Do You Bond With Mozart? Adopt A Starling NPRArticle
How Do You Bond With Mozart? Adopt A Starling
Apr 20, 2017
7 min readLove And Tears On The Smallholding BBC Countryfile MagazineArticle
Love And Tears On The Smallholding
Jul 29, 2021
4 min readHow To Plant Baskets BBC Gardeners' WorldArticle
How To Plant Baskets
Jul 13, 2023
10 min readThe Booksellers’ Year in Reading: Part 1 Literary HubArticle
The Booksellers’ Year in Reading: Part 1
Dec 24, 2019
17 min readSwimming in the Wild Will Change You The AtlanticArticle
Swimming in the Wild Will Change You
May 27, 2021
10 min readHow Russia Persecutes Its Dissidents Using U.S. Courts The AtlanticArticle
How Russia Persecutes Its Dissidents Using U.S. Courts
Jul 30, 2018
10 min readA Passport To Survival BBC History MagazineArticle
A Passport To Survival
Sep 28, 2023
3 min readRadical, Witty And Lavish ‘The Pursuit Of Love’ Director Emily Mortimer And Star Lily James On Making Tv’s Latest Hit HELLO magazineArticle
Radical, Witty And Lavish ‘The Pursuit Of Love’ Director Emily Mortimer And Star Lily James On Making Tv’s Latest Hit
May 17, 2021
3 min readA Sunken White Elephant Leisure WheelsArticle
A Sunken White Elephant
Jan 21, 2020
THERE’S a brilliant documentary by Werner Herzog, called Encounters at the End of the World. This beautifully filmed expedition essentially explores not only Antarctica, but also the people who live and work there. They’re a fascinating bunch of pers
3 min readE. B. White’s Lesson for Debut Writers: It’s Okay to Start Small The AtlanticArticle
E. B. White’s Lesson for Debut Writers: It’s Okay to Start Small
Oct 2, 2018
7 min readWhat Being a Dancer Does to Your Relationship with Food Literary HubArticle
What Being a Dancer Does to Your Relationship with Food
Apr 15, 2020
5 min readA Year in Reading: Sarah Thankam Mathews The MillionsArticle
A Year in Reading: Sarah Thankam Mathews
Dec 18, 2020
By May I was clenching my teeth so hard when I slept that it eventually cracked a filling. The post A Year in Reading: Sarah Thankam Mathews appeared first on The Millions.
4 min readHow Did England Get Its Bizarro Street Names? Literary HubArticle
How Did England Get Its Bizarro Street Names?
Apr 9, 2020
6 min readWho is Paul Lynch? Author wins Booker Prize 2023 for Prophet Song Evening StandardArticle
Who is Paul Lynch? Author wins Booker Prize 2023 for Prophet Song
Nov 28, 2023
2 min readRebecca F. Kuang on Violence, History, and Writing a Female Warrior Literary HubArticle
Rebecca F. Kuang on Violence, History, and Writing a Female Warrior
Nov 15, 2019
3 min readActions Can Have Horrifying Consequences In 'The Boy On The Bridge' NPRArticle
Actions Can Have Horrifying Consequences In 'The Boy On The Bridge'
May 6, 2017
2 min readLife In Northern Ireland V The Rest Of The UK: What Does The Data Say? The GuardianArticle
Life In Northern Ireland V The Rest Of The UK: What Does The Data Say?
May 2, 2021
One hundred years to the day after its foundation on 3 May 1921, Northern Ireland is outdoing the rest of the United Kingdom on many metrics. The UK’s smallest country has had the lowest unemployment rate on the British Isles for six consecutive quar
3 min readMan Of Letters And Warm Coats Esquire SingaporeArticle
Man Of Letters And Warm Coats
Nov 1, 2021
3 min read‘We Live In Fear’ Grim Details Of Everard Case Heighten Women’s Sense Of Despair Guardian WeeklyArticle
‘We Live In Fear’ Grim Details Of Everard Case Heighten Women’s Sense Of Despair
Oct 8, 2021
2 min read10 Quick Questions New Zealand ListenerArticle
10 Quick Questions
Jan 10, 2021
1. Which movie begins with the words: “People do not give it credence that a young girl could leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father’s blood, but it did happen”? ❑ Old Yeller ❑ True Grit ❑ The Call of the Wild ❑ Little Women 2.
1 min readNordic Twist Simply KnittingArticle
Nordic Twist
Oct 6, 2020
4 min readHelen Macdonald: The Things I Tell Myself When I’m Writing About Nature Literary HubArticle
Helen Macdonald: The Things I Tell Myself When I’m Writing About Nature
Aug 25, 2020
5 min read‘Chernobyl’ TV Miniseries: The Reviews From Ground Zero The Christian Science MonitorArticle
‘Chernobyl’ TV Miniseries: The Reviews From Ground Zero
May 28, 2019
The dramatization of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster has gotten a mixed response in post-Soviet states.
4 min readTWO ESSAYS from FINGER EXERCISES FOR POETS The American Poetry ReviewArticle
TWO ESSAYS from FINGER EXERCISES FOR POETS
Nov 1, 2022
Russian Formalists have a word, “ostranenie,” which means constantly attempting to discover new ways of looking at everyday things. There are almost always two realities rubbing up against one another in every poem, whether they are specified or not,
10 min readThe RIDE Stuff Total FilmArticle
The RIDE Stuff
Jun 25, 2021
12 min readThe 13 Best Book Covers of May Literary HubArticle
The 13 Best Book Covers of May
May 29, 2020
3 min readNancy Mitford, Inventor of Eccentric English Style Literary HubArticle
Nancy Mitford, Inventor of Eccentric English Style
Jun 19, 2017
3 min readLily King The WriterArticle
Lily King
Apr 25, 2020
Award-winning and bestselling author Lily King’s latest book, Writers & Lovers, is set in the Boston area during the 1990s. This cleverly written novel features a compelling protagonist, a struggling 31-year-old writer named Casey. Readers follow Cas
2 min readUkraine On The Brink, China’s Covid Fear And No 10 Holds Its Breath Guardian WeeklyArticle
Ukraine On The Brink, China’s Covid Fear And No 10 Holds Its Breath
Jan 28, 2022
The diplomatic avenues appear exhausted. The army units are in position. And perhaps most tellingly, nations including the US, Australia and Britain this week began moving embassy staff out of Kyiv. Is there any hope left of averting a Russian invasi
1 min read
Reviews for Spare Parts
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews