Superhuman: The Awesome Power Within by Robert Winston and Lori Oliwenstein (BBC Worldwide £18.99)
A LIZARD loses its tail and grows another. The shore crab, with a pincer trapped between two rocks on the ebb tide, breaks free. The limb has been sacrificed for sake of its owner's body in a single act of self-amputation.
Amazing stuff. But when it comes to the art of regeneration, there is no creature on earth that can rival the ingenuity of the human body.
Accompanying a major new BBC1 series, Superhuman explores our astonishing ability to heal, renew and regenerate ourselves, as well as relating dramatic tales of futuristic medicine.
The book concentrates on six key medical areas - trauma, transplants, self-repair, cancer, infection and fertility. It records the before, during and after treatments and operations on real people, introducing us to the pioneering efforts of medical teams and the ethical issues that new medical advances raise.
This all makes for an enthralling read for the expert, browser or anyone fascinated by what makes the dominant species tick.
John Phillpott
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