About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherIsland Press

ISBN-101610917189

ISBN-139781610917186

eBay Product ID (ePID)235719959

Product Key Features

Edition2

Book TitleNatural Defense : Enlisting Bugs and Germs to Protect Our Food and Health

Number of Pages200 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2017

TopicPublic Policy / Agriculture & Food Policy (See Also Social Science / Agriculture & Food), Life Sciences / Microbiology, General, Agriculture & Food (See Also Political Science / Public Policy / Agriculture & Food Policy)

GenrePolitical Science, Cooking, Social Science, Science

AuthorEmily Monosson

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.7 in

Item Weight14.1 Oz

Item Length9.3 in

Item Width6.3 in

Additional Product Features

LCCN2016-957614

Dewey Edition23

Reviews[Monosson] is a good writer, and this volume reads well and easily even by non-scientific readers., In N atural Defense: Enlisting Bugs and Germs to Protect Our Food and Health , Dr. Emily Monosson takes us on a tour of new technologies coming down the pipeline, based on biology and often high-performance computing rather than chemistry... Natural Defense is well-written and accessible, full of anecdotes and real-world examples and not too heavy on jargon., An extraordinary study that is impressively 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation...unreservedly recommended., Natural Defense guides us through a lively, provocative consideration of more ecologically balanced approaches to a disease-free future...Monosson presents a vision for a future in which we embrace our role in--and learn to harness the transformative potential of--the planet's web of biological relationships. In that humility, we may finally find the North Star on our journey toward a sustainable, healthy future., A timely message of hope...[Monosson] argues that we can achieve better (i.e., more targeted and sustainable) outcomes to control pests and pathogens through new ecological understanding, technologically advanced diagnostics, and modern tools that harness the previously hidden powers of our microscale natural allies...a fascinating and thought-provoking read., Monosson shows us how to borrow the best from nature and technology to protect people, plants, and the planet. A must-read for anyone looking for sustainable solutions for fighting infection and maintaining health., 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., Reading this compact, compelling book is mostly an uplifting experience--Monosson does, after all, spotlight solutions--but the environmental and public health problems for which they are designed can be formidable....With a willingness to stand back and look at the world in a different way, perhaps we will enter a new age of working with nature as we continue to improve human well-being., In Natural Defense , Emily Monosson introduces readers to scientists grappling with both human and landscape health and trying to work with, instead of beat back, nature. A hopeful vision of how humans might thrive on this planet., Our solutions to controlling pests and disease face a formidable foe: evolution. Monosson takes us on a clear-eyed tour of biological alternatives in both medicine and farming, which may help lessen our reliance on antibiotics, pesticides, and more. With deft prose and fascinating anecdotes, Monosson's survey of the latest scientific research leaves us in awe of humankind's ingenuity., Despite the ravages described, the book sounds some optimistic notes promoting sustainability. This is about translational science taking research and technology from bench to bedside and farm field.

Dewey Decimal363.8

Table Of ContentPreface Chapter 1. Natural Allies: Our Bacterial Protectors Chapter 2. Natural Allies: How the Smallest of All Can Help Feed the World Chapter 3. The Enemy of Our Enemy is Our Friend: Infecting the Infection Chapter 4. The Enemy of Our Enemy is Our Friend: Replacing Pesticides with Nature's Chemistry Chapter 5. Provocation: GMOs and the Science of Protecting Plants, Naturally Chapter 6. Provocation: The Next Generation of Vaccines Chapter 7. Know Thine Enemy: Diagnosing Crop Disease Goes High Tech Chapter 8. Know Thine Enemy: The Future of Diagnostics Epilogue

SynopsisFor 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. 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. 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. Our chemicals are failing us. Fortunately, scientists are finding new solutions that work with, rather than against, nature. Emily Monosson explores science's most innovative strategies, from high-tech gene editing to the ancient practice of fecal transplants. There are viruses that infect and bust apart bacteria; vaccines engineered to better provoke our natural defenses; and insect pheromones that throw crop-destroying moths into a misguided sexual frenzy. Some technologies will ultimately fizzle; others may hold the key to abundant food and unprecedented health. 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. Her book is full of optimism, not simply for particular cures, but for a sustainable approach to human welfare that will benefit generations to come., We rely on chemical cures to keep our bodies free from disease and our farms free from bugs and weeds. While human and agricultural health are rarely considered together, both are based on the same ecology, and both are being threatened by organisms that have evolved to resist our antibiotics and pesticides. Fortunately, scientists are finding new solutions that work with, rather than against, nature. There are viruses that bust apart bacteria; insect pheromones that throw crop-destroying moths into a misguided sexual frenzy; plant genes edited to protect against disease; and a resurgence of the ancient practice of fecal transplants. In this hopeful book, Monosson offers a fascinating look into the future of natural defenses., 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. 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. 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. Our chemicals are failing us.Fortunately, scientists are finding new solutions that work with, rather than against, nature. Emily Monosson explores science's most innovative strategies, from high-tech gene editing to the ancient practice of fecal transplants. There are viruses that infect and bust apart bacteria; vaccines engineered to better provoke our natural defenses; and insect pheromones that throw crop-destroying moths into a misguided sexual frenzy. Some technologies will ultimately fizzle; others may hold the key to abundant food and unprecedented health. 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. Her book is full of optimism, not simply for particular cures, but for a sustainable approach to human welfare that will benefit generations to come.

LC Classification NumberRA601.M66 2017