Immune: A journey into the system that keeps you alive - the book from KURZGESAGT IN A NUTSHELL
Nov 2021 · Hachette UK
4.5star
64 reviewsreport
Ebook
368
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About this ebook
The book from the creator of the wildly popular science YouTube channel, Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell, a gorgeously illustrated deep dive into the immune system that will change how you think about your body forever.
Please note: the originally supplied fixed format edition of the eBook has now been replaced to address difficulties experienced by some readers. Please delete the previous version from your device and download the new edition.
__________
'A truly brilliant introduction to the human body's vast system for fighting infections and other threats'
JOHN GREEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars
'Reads as if it's a riveting sci-fi novel . . . a delightful treat for the curious'
TIM URBAN, creator of Wait But Why
__________
You wake up and feel a tickle in your throat. Your head hurts. You're mildly annoyed as you get the kids ready for school and dress for work yourself. Meanwhile, an utterly epic war is being fought, just below your skin. Millions are fighting and dying for you to be able to complain as you drink your cup of tea and head out the door.
So what, exactly, IS your immune system?
Second only to the human brain in its complexity, it is one of the oldest and most critical facets of life on Earth. Without it, you would die within days. In Immune, Philipp Dettmer, the brains behind the most popular science channel on YouTube, takes readers on a journey through the fortress of the human body and its defences. There is a constant battle of staggering scale raging within us, full of stories of invasion, strategy, defeat, and noble self-sacrifice. In fact, in the time you've been reading this, your immune system has probably identified and eradicated a cancer cell that started to grow in your body.
Each chapter delves deeply into an element of the immune system, including defences like antibodies and inflammation as well as threats like viruses, bacteria, allergies and cancer, as Dettmer reveals why boosting your immune system is actually nonsense, how parasites sneak their way past your body's defences, how viruses - including the coronavirus - work, and what goes on in your wounds when you cut yourself.
Enlivened by engaging full-colour graphics and immersive descriptions, Immune turns one of the most intricate, interconnected, and confusing subjects - immunology - into a gripping adventure through an astonishing alien landscape.
Challenging what you know and think about your own body and how it defends you against all sorts of maladies and how it might also eventually be your own downfall, Immune is a vital and remarkably fun crash course in what is arguably, and increasingly, the most important system in the body.
__________
Please note: the originally supplied fixed format edition of the eBook has now been replaced to address difficulties experienced by some readers. Please delete the previous version from your device and download the new edition.
__________
'A truly brilliant introduction to the human body's vast system for fighting infections and other threats'
JOHN GREEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars
'Reads as if it's a riveting sci-fi novel . . . a delightful treat for the curious'
TIM URBAN, creator of Wait But Why
__________
You wake up and feel a tickle in your throat. Your head hurts. You're mildly annoyed as you get the kids ready for school and dress for work yourself. Meanwhile, an utterly epic war is being fought, just below your skin. Millions are fighting and dying for you to be able to complain as you drink your cup of tea and head out the door.
So what, exactly, IS your immune system?
Second only to the human brain in its complexity, it is one of the oldest and most critical facets of life on Earth. Without it, you would die within days. In Immune, Philipp Dettmer, the brains behind the most popular science channel on YouTube, takes readers on a journey through the fortress of the human body and its defences. There is a constant battle of staggering scale raging within us, full of stories of invasion, strategy, defeat, and noble self-sacrifice. In fact, in the time you've been reading this, your immune system has probably identified and eradicated a cancer cell that started to grow in your body.
Each chapter delves deeply into an element of the immune system, including defences like antibodies and inflammation as well as threats like viruses, bacteria, allergies and cancer, as Dettmer reveals why boosting your immune system is actually nonsense, how parasites sneak their way past your body's defences, how viruses - including the coronavirus - work, and what goes on in your wounds when you cut yourself.
Enlivened by engaging full-colour graphics and immersive descriptions, Immune turns one of the most intricate, interconnected, and confusing subjects - immunology - into a gripping adventure through an astonishing alien landscape.
Challenging what you know and think about your own body and how it defends you against all sorts of maladies and how it might also eventually be your own downfall, Immune is a vital and remarkably fun crash course in what is arguably, and increasingly, the most important system in the body.
__________
Ratings and reviews
4.5
64 reviews
cbhorxo
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March 27, 2022
This is the best book ever (according to me), as it sparked my interest in immunology. It is a rough guide to the immune system, and makes us realize how it actually works. It is extremely well written, and has bits of humour everywhere to make us smile. It explains every part of the immune system very nicely, and every piece of information in this book is fact-checked. Anyone with an immune system should buy this!
Đăng Lê
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November 21, 2021
Great book to grasp the fundamental mechanism of our immune system without going into too much scientific details for common readers, like for me I only need to learn that the Sun rises in the east around every 24h but do not need to learn the formula related to gravity and all (so as to calculate correctly at which micro-second that the Sun will rise tomorrow). The book also offers a balance of facts and jokes that keeps me amused to read more while not bore me too much with just the former. In the end, it also gives an up-to-date understanding of our scientists about the Covid19 that separates me from my loved ones for so long. One of my best books this year!
15 people found this review helpful
Holly Fear
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March 13, 2022
Absolutely love this book, I bought it to help with my A-level biology and was fully aware that it would be more like a broad overview without all of the details (so if you are using this for revision make sure you get all of the actual scientific terms from a textbook rather than the simplified versions here). This book is perfectly designed to be accessible to anyone, biology student or not, to understand and enjoy learning about their immune system. It lays a perfect foundation to build upon for studying it as well. Not only is this book brilliant at simplifing the science enough to be accessible and easy to understand while still giving a great overview of the complexity of the immune system, it is also filled with unexpected comedy that keeps you engaged and fully entertained while reading. The metaphors of what it would be like in human terms are great at helping you comprehend and understand what is being said while giving you something to laugh about! Fully recommend!
About the author
Philipp Dettmer is the founder and head writer of Kurzgesagt, one of the largest science channels on Youtube with over twenty-two million subscribers. After dropping out of high school at age fifteen, Philipp met a remarkable teacher who inspired in him a passion for learning and understanding the world. He went on to study history and information design with a focus on infographics. After college, Philipp started Kurzgesagt as a passion project to explain complicated ideas from a holistic perspective. When the channel took off, Philipp dedicated himself full-time to making difficult ideas engaging and accessible.
Philippdettmer.com
YouTube: Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell
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