• Survival of the Sickest

  • A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease
  • By: Sharon Moalem, Jonathan Prince
  • Narrated by: Eric Conger
  • Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (640 ratings)

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Survival of the Sickest

By: Sharon Moalem, Jonathan Prince
Narrated by: Eric Conger
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Editorial reviews

Learn how wearing sun block could raise your cholesterol and diabetes could protect you from extreme cold. Mutation, genetic transmission, and survival of the fittest form the foundation of evolutionary law, and Sharon Moalem explains how certain genetic disease states might promote continued existence. Narrator Eric Conger's brisk pace keeps the facts coming and the interest level high, but he never sounds hurried or mumbles a word. He doesn't break his rhythm with annoying pauses for quoted material or struggle with the plethora of scientific terms. The combination of an excellent narrator and well-informed writers provides information that brings the inquisitive mind up to date on genetics that apply to our everyday lives.

Publisher's summary

How did a deadly genetic disease help our ancestors survive the bubonic plagues of Europe? Was diabetes evolution's response to the last Ice Age? Will a visit to the tanning salon help bring down your cholesterol? Why do we age? Why are some people immune to HIV? Can your genes be turned on or off?

Survival of the Sickest reveals the answers to these and many other questions as it unravels the amazing connections between evolution, disease, and human health today.

Joining the ranks of modern myth busters, Dr. Sharon Moalem turns our current understanding of illness on its head and challenges us to fundamentally change the way we think about our bodies, our health, and our relationship to just about every other living thing on earth, from plants and animals to insects and bacteria.

Survival of the Sickest is filled with fascinating insights and cutting-edge research, presented in a way that is both accessible and utterly absorbing. This is a book about the interconnectedness of all life on earth and, especially, what that means for us. Listen to it. You're already living it.

©2007 Sharon Moalem (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"A lively and enthusiastic treatise." (Kirkus Reviews)

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What listeners say about Survival of the Sickest

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Quite interesting

Having little previous exposure to genetics, I found this book to be a fascinating overview of many of the latest breakthroughs in the field. Many of his theories were also quite thought-provoking. I have recommended it to several people.

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    5 out of 5 stars

GREAT!!

Mind blowing novel. Really gives you a different view point on life. Not to hard to understand but having some biology knowledge can help you a little more with understanding some points brought up.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful. Fascinating science told like a mystery

What did you love best about Survival of the Sickest?

Very much enjoyed the content and the style of presentation. easy to follow with interesting theories.

What does Eric Conger bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

the narration was clear.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lots of great biology terms for my students

I am assigning this to my AP biology students as z reading option. It has lots of biology terms and shows how many of science theories can be changed as we introduce new findings. By no means is this textbook reading. It is presented in an interesting story based reading that everyone can enjoy.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Exciting and entertaining to the finish

Relevant and complex medical content presented in a very interesting manner to a novice reader with a nicely present conclusion. Gripping to the end like a mystery fiction.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Evolution from a different angle

Fascinating read that he me continually pausing to tell my husband "did you know...?" I wasn't expecting to learn as much as I ended up learning. it was an inspiring read. As a biology teacher, this provides some incredible examples of genetics, evolution, and health that even my high school aged students can wrap their heads around. The only negative for me was the fact that there was periodic bursts of theme music throughout the recording that took you out of the moment.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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5 stars

This book kept me interested from the first to the last. I'm in the medical field so it is where my interest lies but I think anyone would enjoy this one.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Very interesting and enlightening

Definitely worth reading, although there was one part where he got long-winded. However, it explained (potentially) several things about human evolution and how those things were impacting us today, that were very interesting and enlightening.

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3 people found this helpful

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  • M3
  • 09-19-12

Outstanding, with Many "Oh REALLY?" Moments

For starters, "Sharon" is a he, not a she. And Sharon presents a well researched, logically laid out argument for how evolution sometimes bites us in the butt. In a nutshell, the same genetic characteristics that allowed your forefathers to survive the plague of the dark ages are likely the root cause of some present-day genetic affliction (in this instance, hemochromotisis). It appears that sometimes nature may trade the ability to survive in the short term for the ability to survive in the long term. Moalem points out multiple examples of how genetic evolution can have second and third order effects...and they are not always for the better.

This is a quick listen that doesn't bore. If I had one complaint, it would be the heavy-handed preaching about evolutionary theory at the beginning of the book, which will undoubtedly grate on the ears of creationists and make them refuse to listen to the REST of the book...which is phenomenal.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

Engaging Journey into Human Evolution and Science

This book offers an interesting journey into the science of human evolution and disease. It was engaging and easy to follow. Very thought provoking! I enjoyed the narrator's reading of the book!

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