{"product_id":"life-at-the-extremes-the-science-of-survival","title":"Life at the Extremes: The Science of Survival","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook info:\u003c\/strong\u003e Life at the Extremes: The Science of Survival (Hardcover, 347 pages) – University of California Press, 2000. Language: English.\u003c\/p\u003e\n The challenge of scaling the highest mountain, exploring the deepest ocean, crossing the hottest desert, or swimming in near-freezing water is irresistible to many people. Life at the Extremes is an engrossing exploration of what happens to our bodies in these seemingly uninhabitable environments. Frances Ashcroft weaves stories of extraordinary feats of endurance with historical material and the latest scientific findings as she investigates the limits of human survival and the remarkable adaptations that enable us to withstand extreme conditions.What causes mountain sickness? How is it possible to reach the top of Everest without supplementary oxygen, when passengers in an airplane that depressurized at the same altitude would lose consciousness in seconds? Why do divers get the bends but sperm whales do not? How long you can survive immersion in freezing water? Why don't penguins get frostbite? Will men always be faster runners than women? How far into deep space can a body travel?As she considers these questions, Ashcroft introduces a cast of extraordinary scientific personalities—inventors and explorers who have charted the limits of human survival. She describes many intriguing experiments and shows how scientific knowledge has enabled us to venture toward and beyond ever greater limits. Life at the Extremes also considers what happens when athletes push their bodies to the edge, and tells of the remarkable adaptations that enable some organisms to live in boiling water, in highly acidic lakes, or deep in the middle of rocks.Anyone who flies in an airplane, sails the high seas, goes skiing or walking in the mountains, or simply weathers subzero winters or sweltering summers will be captivated by this book. Full of scientific information, beautifully written, and packed with many fascinating digressions, Life at the Extremes lures us to the very edge of human survival.  \n        Review   \"...the blend of personal experience, pertinent historical reference and sympathetic scientific explanation ought to make this a classic. Essential reading.\" -- Duncan Bowis, The Bookseller\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A satisfying mix of scientific explanation with tales of derring-do... with its many vicarious thrills, makes for ideal holiday reading.\" -- Economist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Anyone, extremist or not, will find frequent enlightenment on both the familiar and the unusual.\" -- American Scientist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Ashcroft certainly knows her stuff, but she can also write well for a lay audience.\" -- John Gribbin, Sunday Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Every thoughtful reader will finish the book with greater awe . . . for the complexity . . . of the mystery we call life.\" -- New England Journal of Medicine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Fascinating new book...endless resource for cocktail party conversationalists--and for teachers of biology such as myself.\" -- Natural History\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This Oxford physiologist . . . illustrates through her scientific research and personal climbing experience how far we can-and can't-push the human body.\" -- Discover \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Welcome, entertaining, and illuminating. Ashcroft is good at opening up aspects of daily life normally sealed off to the non-scientist.\" -- Sara Wheeler, The Spectator\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[A] worthwhile read both for those who participate in extreme sports and those who . . . enjoy them from . . . an armchair.\" -- Publishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[F]ascinating, accessible to anyone willing to make the effort, and well worth its price.\" -- Chris Lavers, New Scientist           About the Author   Frances Ashcroft is Professor of Physiology at Oxford University and a Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford. She is author of Insulin (1992) and Ion Channels and Disease (2000).      ","brand":"Frances Ashcroft","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46071222272234,"sku":"9780520222342","price":31.76,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0714\/5301\/6298\/files\/61Ovs8e_NTL._SL1500.jpg?v=1781290251","url":"https:\/\/textbookme.store\/products\/life-at-the-extremes-the-science-of-survival","provider":"TextbookMe","version":"1.0","type":"link"}