Have you ever wondered why some people love broccoli and others are their ardent opponents? Or why is milk not beneficial to everyone? What determines the tendency to addiction? Why are some people able to refuse another glass of wine and others reach for another glass even though they should have stopped a long time ago? Where do feelings come from? Are we the only ones who decide about our moods, or is there anyone else who has the ability to control them? Or what or who causes these unfortunate and weekly Sunday political quarrels between Uncle Staszek and Aunt Krysia? In looking for answers to these questions, it is necessary to look at our… DNA and, present in our body, microorganisms. You don’t believe it? Well, then, look at the book “Pleased to Meet Me, Genes, Germs, And The Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are” by Bill Sullivan
Initially, when I read the figure of the author of the book being a professor of pharmacology and microbiology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Indiana in Indianapolis, the creator of a patent on how to identify potential anti-parasitic drugs, I thought to myself that it was probably one of those books that was dry on science. Bill Sullivan, among the students known as the “funny guy in a T-shirt”, has created a great book that presents, in an engaging, understandable and funny way, the role of DNA, microorganisms and the environment in shaping our personality and conditioning our behaviour.
The book “Pleased to Meet Me, Genes…” deals with many topics concerning ourselves, including our dietary preferences, addictions, moods, beliefs and political views. From the book we learn how the environment and lifestyle of our parents, e.g. their food preferences and moods and hormones “program” our personality and functioning in the fetal life. It turns out, among other things, that, to a large extent, whether we become an addict, is influenced by the environment in which the pregnant woman and the cortisol present in her body are staying. Well, as the author writes:
“Exposure to high concentrations of cortisol in fetal life can upset the fetus’ stress management system, which can become a risk factor for becoming an addict in adulthood”.
Just as important as the sacred peace of the future mother (so remember, dear gentlemen, not to upset your loved ones!) is… the diet of the future father! Well, Gentlemen, no more sirloin and grazed ice cream dessert, or else your offspring will be struggling with insulin disorders, and I don’t think any of us want that. Moreover, from the book we learn what the importance of our bacterial flora for our appetite, well-being and mental health is, if and how we can change it. The author answers the question whether there is evil in us and shows that “science is an elixir that allows us to gain advantage over our demons”. He also devotes a chapter to all the processes associated with the search for our other half, including the role of our potential partner’s scent, hormones and neurotransmitters active during our youthful infatuations. The book also provides an explanation and examples of genes that cause “some brains act as a lighthouse, others as a flash”. The author also touches upon the subject of physical activity and its influence, not only on our muscles, but also on the brain and the regulation of histone acetylation, which affects the process of learning and remembering. These topics are only a handful of the issues discussed in the book.
The author presented these and other issues in a scientific way, documenting everything with the experiences of other researchers. However, he has done it in a light and funny way, involving a lot of “funny” sentences and references to elements of pop culture, such as series, films, or stage stars like John Michael Osbourne. And if one of you, after reading the book, would like to learn more about the topic that interested him, Sullivan, as a true scientist, has put at the end of the book a list of articles he used, for which he has a big plus in my eyes.
In conclusion, the book is worth reading. We will learn a lot of interesting, scientific things from it, which will allow us to understand our behaviour and everything that happens to us… Or maybe even shine some information in front of our friends. I’m sure that after reading this book the vast majority will find that science is not boring at all; on the contrary, studying it can be an exciting and interesting experience.
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