Natural Defense: Enlisting Bugs and Germs to Protect Our Food and Health
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.46 (926 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B0718ZN54K |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 277 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-08-31 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
David Wineberg said For every pathogen there is a phage. Hiding in plain sight all these years, the microbiome has been providing exciting new paths for discovery, wonderment, and amazement. Looking at the world with new eyes, we can (at last) see that the air, soil and water themselves contain microbiomes, with similarly impressive properties. Natural Defense is the latest addition to the burgeoning shelf of biomic revelations. This one is focused on practical application. It is all about how we can improve ourselves and save our planet from, well, us.The basic message is that Nature has it handled. We can do better learning from Nature than by creating po. New techniques against pests and pathogens: ecological wisdom or more technological hubris? We know that the use of chemicals on the farm leads pests to develop resistance. And we know that the indiscriminate use of antibiotics is leading human pathogens to develop resistance as well. The promise of “better living through chemistry” appears to have stalled. What comes next? In Natural Defense, Dr. Emily Monosson takes us on a tour of new technologies coming down the pipeline, based on biology and high-performance computing rather than chemistry. These include, in medicine, fecal transplants, phages (viruses that attack specific bacteria), and bacteriocins (chemicals that bacteria. "Good look at science but with some reservations" according to Steve G. I am torn about this book. I like Emily Monosson’s writing style. She uses plain language and presents the science clearly. On the medical chapters, she follows the science stringently which is great. But on the environment she subtly undermines the science by, for example, promoting organic foods and by giving equal emphasis to two sides of the GMO argument on yellow rice. Running through the book is an undertone of natural is good, synthetic is bad. Nonetheless I enjoyed the book and hence gave it the Good look at science but with some reservations Steve G I am torn about this book. I like Emily Monosson’s writing style. She uses plain language and presents the science clearly. On the medical chapters, she follows the science stringently which is great. But on the environment she subtly undermines the science by, for example, promoting organic foods and by giving equal emphasis to two sides of the GMO argument on yellow rice. Running through the book is an undertone of natural is good, synthetic is bad. Nonetheless I enjoyed the book and hence gave it the 4-star rating.Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.. -star rating.Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.
"Monosson offers a positive outlook on the future of plant protection and our subsequent health benefits with innovative scientific advancements that look to germs and bugs to work with nature instead of fighting against it."
Each represents a growing understanding of how to employ ecology for our own protection.Monosson gives readers a peek into the fascinating and hopeful world of natural defenses. Patients suffer from C.diff, a painful, potentially lethal gut infection associated with multiple rounds of antibiotics; orange groves rot from insect-borne bacteria; and the blight responsible for the Irish potato famine outmaneuvers fungicides. We rarely consider human and agricultural health together, but both are based on the same ecology, and both are being threatened by organisms that have evolved to resist our antibiotics and pesticides. For more than a century, we have relied on chemical cures to keep our bodies free from disease and our farms free from bugs and weeds. Our chemicals are failing us.Fortunately, scientists are finding new solutions that work with, rather than against, nature. Emily Monosson exp