The Remarkable Life of the Skin

An Intimate Journey Across Our Largest Organ

By: Monty Lyman

Narrated by: Matthew Spencer

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Providing a cover for our delicate and intricate bodies, the skin is our largest and fastest-growing organ. We see it, touch it, and live in it every day. It is a habitat for a mesmerizingly complex world of micro-organisms and physical functions that are vital to our health and our survival. It is also a waste removal plant, a warning system for underlying disease and a dynamic immune barrier to infection.

One of the first things people see about us, skin is crucial to our sense of identity, providing us with social significance and psychological meaning. And yet our skin and the fascinating way it functions is largely unknown to us.

In prose as lucid as his research underlying it is rigorous, blending in memorable stories from the past and from his own medical experience, Monty Lyman has written a revelatory book exploring our outer surface that will surprise and enlighten in equal measure.

Through the lenses of science, sociology, and history - on topics as diverse as the mechanics and magic of touch, the close connection between the skin and the gut, what happens instantly when one gets a paper cut, and how a midnight snack can lead to sunburn - Lyman leads us on a journey across our most underrated and unexplored organ and reveals how our skin is far stranger, more wondrous, and more complex than we have ever imagined.

©2020 Monty Lyman (P)2020 Tantor

Wonderful

How I got here: The water molecules' H atoms vibrate under the influence of microwaves.

What other molecular machines are there?

Chemical Topology to Human Cell Biology to motor protons. Then Human cell structure; organelles; mitochondria; enzymes; hormones.
Khan Academy started my learning.

Audible provided the rest:

"Chemistry of Our Universe, Davis";
"The Second Brain, Gershon";
"Power, Sex, Suicide: MitoChindria..., Lane";
"Gene Machine: The Race to Decipher the Secrets of the Ribosome, Ramakrishnan";
"The Diabetes Code, Fung";
"Hormonal, Haselton";
"What is Life, Perkins";

Now
"The Remarkable Life of the Skin" absolutely wonderful content and presentation!

Time well spent

Beautifully written; beautifully narrated. I selected this as a book for the library where I work, then borrowed the book to read it myself, then decided to buy my own copy. Then I recommended it to my sister. Now I’ve bought an Audible copy.

YOU Get Under My Skin

Truly a Classroom in a book written in 2020. if you read or listen to the book, chapter 10, the final chapter provides a complete summary. know the largest organ we take for granted covering 92% of our body is sexual, sensual, tuned to our health and a system of feedback. The book is essential to our health.

Scientific Marvels with Uncomfortable Detours

Overall, "The Remarkable Life of the Skin" delivers a fascinating journey through our body's largest organ, offering valuable scientific insights. However, my enjoyment was slightly diminished by the unexpected inclusion of religious comments that seemed out of place in a book rooted in science. While the overall content is excellent, these tangents disrupted the immersive experience and left me questioning the book's commitment to a purely scientific narrative.