Daniel Lieberman

Snažit se pochopit vlastní neduhy bez pochopení vývoje, kterým tělo prošlo v průběhu evoluce, je bláhové. Strhující bestseller evolučního biologa prof. Daniela Liebermana osvětluje podstatné vlastnosti našeho těla s ohledem na všechny evoluční a kulturní tlaky, jež muselo podstoupit. Ať už trpíte chronickými potížemi, anebo se jen chcete poučit, jak jíst, spát, běhat, chodit a vůbec žít v souladu se svým tělem, je to kniha pro vás! Daniel E. Lieberman, vedoucí katedry lidské evoluční biologie na Harvardově univerzitě a přední osobnost oboru, v této zásadní knize srozumitelně a poutavě popisuje vývoj, kterým lidské tělo za miliony let prošlo. Přitom vysvětluje, jak narůstající nesoulad mezi směsicí adaptací našich těl z doby kamenné a pokrokem moderního světa vede k paradoxu – souběžnému nárůstu dlouhověkosti a chronické nemocnosti. Příběh lidského těla brilantně osvětluje transformace, které přispěly ke klíčovým adaptacím těla: osvojení chůze po dvou; přechod na jinou než ovocnou stravu; opatřování potravy lovem a sběrem, díky kterému máme tak mimořádné předpoklady pro vytrvalostní disciplíny; vývoj velmi velkého mozku; vzestup kulturních dovedností. Lieberman dále objasňuje, jak se kulturní evoluce liší od biologické evoluce a jakou další proměnou prošla naše těla v průběhu zemědělské a průmyslové revoluce. Lieberman se domnívá, že mnohé z chronických nemocí přetrvávají a v některých případech i zesilují v důsledku „dysevoluce“, zhoubné dynamiky, kdy se léčí jen příznaky těchto chorob, a ne jejich příčiny. Navrhuje, abychom se nechali poznatky o evoluci postrkávat, tlačit a třeba i donutit k vytvoření zdravějšího prostředí.

In The Story of the Human Body, Daniel Lieberman, Professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, shows how we need to change our world to fit our hunter-gatherer bodies This ground-breaking book of popular science explores how the way we use our bodies is all wrong. From an evolutionary perspective, if normal is defined as what most people have done for millions of years, then it's normal to walk and run 9 -15 kilometres a day to hunt and gather fresh food which is high in fibre, low in sugar, and barely processed. It's also normal to spend much of your time nursing, napping, making stone tools, and gossiping with a small band of people. Our 21st-century lifestyles, argues Daniel Lieberman, are out of synch with our stone-age bodies. Never have we been so healthy and long-lived - but never, too, have we been so prone to a slew of problems that were, until recently, rare or unknown, from asthma, to diabetes, to - scariest of all - overpopulation. The Story of the Human Body asks how our bodies got to be the way they are, and considers how that evolutionary history - both ancient and recent - can help us evaluate how we use our bodies. How is the present-day state of the human body related to the past? And what is the human body's future? 'Monumental. The Story of the Human Body, by one of our leading experts, takes us on an epic voyage' - Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish 'Riveting, enlightening, and more than a little frightening' - Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run Daniel Lieberman is the Chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard and a leader in the field. He has written nearly 100 articles, many appearing in the journals Nature and Science, and his cover story on barefoot running in Nature was picked up by major media the world over. His research and discoveries have been highlighted in newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Boston Globe, Discover, and National Geographic.

'Endlessly fascinating and full of surprises. Easily one of my books of the year' BILL BRYSON The myth-busting science behind our modern attitudes to exercise: what our bodies really need, why it matters, and its effects on health and wellbeing. In industrialized nations, our sedentary lifestyles have contributed to skyrocketing rates of obesity and diseases like diabetes. A key remedy, we are told, is exercise - voluntary physical activity for the sake of health. However, most of us struggle to stay fit, and our attitudes to exercise are plagued by misconceptions, finger-pointing and anxiety. But, as Daniel Lieberman shows in Exercised, the first book of its kind by a leading scientific expert, we never evolved to exercise. We are hardwired for moderate exertion throughout each day, not triathlons or treadmills. Drawing on over a decade of high-level scientific research and eye-opening insights from evolutionary biology and anthropology, Lieberman explains precisely how exercise can promote health; debunks persistent myths about sitting, speed, strength and endurance; and points the way towards more enjoyable and physically active living in the modern world. 'Myth-busting, illuminating, brilliant - Lieberman will completely change the way you think about your body' Professor ALICE ROBERTS, presenter of Our Incredible Human Journey

The myth-busting science behind our modern attitudes to exercise: what our bodies really need, why it matters, and its effects on health and wellbeing. In industrialized nations, our sedentary lifestyles have contributed to skyrocketing rates of obesity and diseases like diabetes. A key remedy, we are told, is exercise - voluntary physical activity for the sake of health. However, most of us struggle to stay fit, and our attitudes to exercise are plagued by misconceptions, finger-pointing and anxiety. But, as Daniel Lieberman shows in Exercised, the first book of its kind by a leading scientific expert, we never evolved to exercise. We are hardwired for moderate exertion throughout each day, not triathlons or treadmills. Drawing on over a decade of high-level scientific research and eye-opening insights from evolutionary biology and anthropology, Lieberman explains precisely how exercise can promote health; debunks persistent myths about sitting, speed, strength and endurance; and points the way towards more enjoyable and physically active living in the modern world. 'Myth-busting, illuminating, brilliant - Lieberman will completely change the way you think about your body' Professor ALICE ROBERTS, presenter of Our Incredible Human Journey