{"product_id":"an-elegant-defense-the-extraordinary-new-science-of-the-immune-system-a-tale-in-four-lives-paperback","title":"An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMatt Richtel\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNational Bestseller\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Gives you all the context you need to understand the science of immunity. ... \u003cem\u003eAn Elegant Defense\u003c\/em\u003e left me with [a] sense of awe.\" --Bill Gates, Gates Notes Summer Reading List\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e journalist \"explicates for the lay reader the intricate biology of our immune system\" (Jerome Groopman, MD, \u003cem\u003eNew York Review of Books\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e science journalist Matt Richtel, \u003cem\u003eAn Elegant Defense\u003c\/em\u003e is an acclaimed and definitive exploration of the immune system and the secrets of health. Interweaving cutting-edge science with the intimate stories of four individual patients, this epic, first-of-its-kind book \"give[s] lay readers a means of understanding what's known so far about the intricate biology of our immune systems\" (\u003cem\u003eThe Week\u003c\/em\u003e).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe immune system is our body's essential defense network, a guardian vigilantly fighting illness, healing wounds, maintaining order and balance, and keeping us alive. It has been honed by evolution over millennia to face an almost infinite array of threats. For all its astonishing complexity, however, the immune system can be easily compromised by fatigue, stress, toxins, advanced age, and poor nutrition--hallmarks of modern life--and even by excessive hygiene. Paradoxically, it is a fragile wonder weapon that can turn on our own bodies with startling results, leading today to epidemic levels of autoimmune disorders.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn Elegant Defense\u003c\/em\u003e effortlessly guides readers on a scientific detective tale winding from the Black Plague to twentieth-century breakthroughs in vaccination and antibiotics, to today's laboratories that are revolutionizing immunology--perhaps the most extraordinary and consequential medical story of our time. Drawing on extensive new interviews with dozens of world-renowned scientists, Richtel has produced a landmark book, equally an investigation into the deepest riddles of survival and a profoundly human tale that is movingly brought to life through the eyes of his four main characters, each of whom illuminates an essential facet of our \"elegant defense.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMagnificently reported and soulfully crafted, \u003cem\u003eAn Elegant Defense\u003c\/em\u003e is an epic, first-of-its-kind exploration of the human immune system and the secrets of health, by Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e journalist Matt Richtel\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA terminal cancer patient rises from the grave. A medical marvel defies HIV. Two women with autoimmunity discover their own bodies have turned against them. \u003cem\u003eAn Elegant Defense\u003c\/em\u003e uniquely entwines these intimate stories with science's centuries-long quest to unlock the mysteries of sickness and health, and illuminates the immune system as never before.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe immune system is our body's essential defense network, a guardian vigilantly fighting illness, healing wounds, maintaining order and balance, and keeping us alive. Its legion of microscopic foot soldiers--from T cells to \"natural killers\"--patrols our body, linked by a nearly instantaneous communications grid. It has been honed by evolution over millennia to face an almost infinite array of threats. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor all its astonishing complexity, however, the immune system can be easily compromised by fatigue, stress, toxins, advanced age, and poor nutrition--hallmarks of modern life--and even by excessive hygiene. Paradoxically, it is a fragile wonder weapon that can turn on our own bodies with startling results, leading today to epidemic levels of autoimmune disorders. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRichtel effortlessly guides readers on a scientific detective tale winding from the Black Plague to twentieth-century breakthroughs in vaccination and antibiotics, to the cutting-edge laboratories that are revolutionizing immunology--perhaps the most extraordinary and consequential medical story of our time. The foundation that Richtel builds makes accessible revelations about cancer immunotherapy, the microbiome, and autoimmune treatments that are changing millions of lives. \u003cem\u003eAn Elegant Defense\u003c\/em\u003e also captures in vivid detail how these powerful therapies, along with our behavior and environment, interact with the immune system, often for the good but always on a razor's edge that can throw this remarkable system out of balance. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on his groundbreaking reporting for the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e and based on extensive new interviews with dozens of world-renowned scientists, Matt Richtel has produced a landmark book, equally an investigation into the deepest riddles of survival and a profoundly human tale that is movingly brought to life through the eyes of his four main characters, each of whom illuminates an essential facet of our \"elegant defense.\"\u003c\/p\u003e--Publishers Weekly\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMagnificently reported and soulfully crafted, \u003cem\u003eAn Elegant Defense\u003c\/em\u003e is an epic, first-of-its-kind exploration of the human immune system and the secrets of health, by Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e journalist Matt Richtel\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA terminal cancer patient rises from the grave. A medical marvel defies HIV. Two women with autoimmunity discover their own bodies have turned against them. \u003cem\u003eAn Elegant Defense\u003c\/em\u003e uniquely entwines these intimate stories with science's centuries-long quest to unlock the mysteries of sickness and health, and illuminates the immune system as never before.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe immune system is our body's essential defense network, a guardian vigilantly fighting illness, healing wounds, maintaining order and balance, and keeping us alive. Its legion of microscopic foot soldiers--from T cells to \"natural killers\"--patrols our body, linked by a nearly instantaneous communications grid. It has been honed by evolution over millennia to face an almost infinite array of threats. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor all its astonishing complexity, however, the immune system can be easily compromised by fatigue, stress, toxins, advanced age, and poor nutrition--hallmarks of modern life--and even by excessive hygiene. Paradoxically, it is a fragile wonder weapon that can turn on our own bodies with startling results, leading today to epidemic levels of autoimmune disorders. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRichtel effortlessly guides readers on a scientific detective tale winding from the Black Plague to twentieth-century breakthroughs in vaccination and antibiotics, to the cutting-edge laboratories that are revolutionizing immunology--perhaps the most extraordinary and consequential medical story of our time. The foundation that Richtel builds makes accessible revelations about cancer immunotherapy, the microbiome, and autoimmune treatments that are changing millions of lives. \u003cem\u003eAn Elegant Defense\u003c\/em\u003e also captures in vivid detail how these powerful therapies, along with our behavior and environment, interact with the immune system, often for the good but always on a razor's edge that can throw this remarkable system out of balance. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on his groundbreaking reporting for the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e and based on extensive new interviews with dozens of world-renowned scientists, Matt Richtel has produced a landmark book, equally an investigation into the deepest riddles of survival and a profoundly human tale that is movingly brought to life through the eyes of his four main characters, each of whom illuminates an essential facet of our \"elegant defense.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 448\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.1 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 24, 2020\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51753609593120,"sku":"9780062698490","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/7fc63e366b28a4d13e34c6931f28b1bc.webp?v=1780023826","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/an-elegant-defense-the-extraordinary-new-science-of-the-immune-system-a-tale-in-four-lives-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}