Items related to Most Delicious Poison: From Spices to Vices –...
Synopsis
A deadly secret lurks within our kitchens, medicine cabinets and gardens...
Digitalis purpurea. The common foxglove. Vision blurs as blood pressure drops precipitously. The heartbeat slows until, finally, it stops.
Atropa belladonna. Deadly nightshade. Eyes darken as strange shapes flutter across your vision. The heart begins to race and soon the entire body is overcome with convulsions.
Papaver somniferum. The opium poppy. Pupils constrict to a pinprick as the senses dull. Gradually, breathing shudders to a halt.
Scratch the surface of a coffee bean, a chilli flake or an apple seed and find a bevy of strange chemicals – biological weapons in a war raging unseen. Here, beetles, birds, bats and butterflies must navigate a minefield of specialised chemicals and biotoxins, each designed to maim and kill.
And yet these chemicals, evolved to repel marauding insects and animals, have now become an integral part of our everyday lives. Some we use to greet our days (caffeine) and titillate our tongues (capsaicin), others to bend our minds (psilocybin) and take away our pains (opioids).
Informed by his father’s love of the natural world and his eventual spiral into the depths of addiction, evolutionary biologist Noah Whiteman explores how we came to use – and abuse – these chemicals. Delving into the mysterious origins of plant and fungal toxins, and their unique human history, Most Delicious Poison provides a kaleidoscopic tour of nature’s most delectable and dangerous poisons.
*****
'Deeply researched and fascinating.' ―JENNIFER DOUDNA, WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY
'Magisterial, fascinating and gripping.' ―NEIL SHUBIN, AUTHOR OF YOUR INNER FISH
'Exuberant, poignant and mind-blowing.' ―DANIEL E. LIEBERMAN, AUTHOR OF EXERCISED
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About the Author
Noah Whiteman is a professor of integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley and one of the world’s leading evolutionary biologists. He has been featured in Der Spiegel, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Science, Scientific American, and has appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition and, most recently, alongside the late Stephen Hawking for his last television series, Genius by Stephen Hawking. Learn more on his website noahwhiteman.org.
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Most Delicious Poison: From Spices to Vices ā" The Story of Natureās Toxins
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Most Delicious Poison
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Condition: Good. All orders ship by next business day! This is a used hardcover book. Has no markings on pages. Pages have moderate wear. Dust jacket (if applicable) is not included. The cover/boards have moderate wear. Spine has been opened/creased. For USED books, we cannot guarantee supplemental materials such as CDs, DVDs, access codes and other materials. We are a small company and very thankful for your business! Seller Inventory # 4CNOOA001VRL
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Most Delicious Poison (Hardcover)
Published by
Oneworld Publications, London, 2023
ISBN 10: 086154451X
ISBN 13: 9780861544516
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Seller: Grand Eagle Retail, Mason, OH, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. A deadly secret lurks within our kitchens, medicine cabinets and gardens.Scratch beneath the surface of a coffee bean, a red pepper flake or an apple seed, and we find a bevy of strange chemicals. We use these to greet our days (caffeine), titillate our tongues (capsaicin) and even kill our enemies (cyanide). But what is the reason plants and fungi produce such chemicals? And how did we come to use and abuse them?Based on cutting-edge science in the fields of evolution, chemistry, and neuroscience, Most Delicious Poison is the first book to reveal the origins of plant and fungal toxins, the mechanisms animals have evolved to overcome them, and how a co-evolutionary arms race made its way into the human experience. This perpetual chemical war not only drove the diversification of life on Earth, but is also intimately tied to our own successes and failures as a species. Everything youve always wanted to know about poisons but have been too afraid to ask Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780861544516
Quantity: 1 available
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Most Delicious Poison: From Spices to Vices ā" The Story of Natureās Toxins
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hardcover. Condition: New. In stock ready to dispatch from the UK. Seller Inventory # mon0000297966
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Most Delicious Poison (Hardcover)
Published by
Oneworld Publications, London, 2023
ISBN 10: 086154451X
ISBN 13: 9780861544516
New
Hardcover
Seller: AussieBookSeller, Truganina, VIC, Australia
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. A deadly secret lurks within our kitchens, medicine cabinets and gardens.Scratch beneath the surface of a coffee bean, a red pepper flake or an apple seed, and we find a bevy of strange chemicals. We use these to greet our days (caffeine), titillate our tongues (capsaicin) and even kill our enemies (cyanide). But what is the reason plants and fungi produce such chemicals? And how did we come to use and abuse them?Based on cutting-edge science in the fields of evolution, chemistry, and neuroscience, Most Delicious Poison is the first book to reveal the origins of plant and fungal toxins, the mechanisms animals have evolved to overcome them, and how a co-evolutionary arms race made its way into the human experience. This perpetual chemical war not only drove the diversification of life on Earth, but is also intimately tied to our own successes and failures as a species. Everything youve always wanted to know about poisons but have been too afraid to ask Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780861544516
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Most Delicious Poison (Hardcover)
Published by
Oneworld Publications, London, 2023
ISBN 10: 086154451X
ISBN 13: 9780861544516
New
Hardcover
Seller: CitiRetail, Stevenage, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. A deadly secret lurks within our kitchens, medicine cabinets and gardens.Scratch beneath the surface of a coffee bean, a red pepper flake or an apple seed, and we find a bevy of strange chemicals. We use these to greet our days (caffeine), titillate our tongues (capsaicin) and even kill our enemies (cyanide). But what is the reason plants and fungi produce such chemicals? And how did we come to use and abuse them?Based on cutting-edge science in the fields of evolution, chemistry, and neuroscience, Most Delicious Poison is the first book to reveal the origins of plant and fungal toxins, the mechanisms animals have evolved to overcome them, and how a co-evolutionary arms race made its way into the human experience. This perpetual chemical war not only drove the diversification of life on Earth, but is also intimately tied to our own successes and failures as a species. Everything youve always wanted to know about poisons but have been too afraid to ask Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780861544516
Quantity: 1 available