Dan Ariely on Survival of the Sickest MIT professor  Dan Ariely has become one of the leaders in the growing field of  behavioral economics, and his bestselling book debut, Predictably  Irrational, has brought his ideas--and his ingenious  experiments and charming sense of humor--to a much wider audience. With  the simplest of tests (often an auction or a quiz given under a few  conditions) he shows again and again not only that we are wired to make  irrational decisions in many situations, but that we do so in remarkably  predictable ways.

I have always been  puzzled by the way in which genetic diseases have managed to survive  throughout the ages. How could it be that these diseases were able to  withstand the evolutionary process, where only the most fit survive, and  continue to be transferred from one generation to the next? Survival  of the Sickest provides a thought provoking yet entertaining  explanation to this puzzle.

In this insightful book  Dr. Sharon Moalem demonstrates how conditions that are considered  unhealthy (such as hemochromatosis, diabetes, and high cholesterol), or  even deadly in extreme cases, might actually put their carriers at an  advantage in combating other life-threatening illnesses. For example, he  explains that hemochromatosis, a disease that, if left untreated, will  kill you, may have actually been a defense against the deadliest  pandemic in history--the bubonic plague during the 14th century. It  turns out that this genetic mutation, which continues to be passed down  through generations, actually helped spare many lives at one point.

Throughout the book, Dr. Moalem draws many connections between  seemingly disparate subjects, such as the accidental invention of ice  wine and cold diuresis, in order to illustrate the basic mechanisms of  genetics and medicine in charming and intuitive ways. He skillfully  interweaves his knowledge of history, genetics, and medicine not only as  they relate to specific medical conditions but also in a way that  addresses important challenges of modern society and our future  evolution.

In the most general terms, Dr. Moalem's  description of the human body and its complexity left me in awe of how  far we have come in our understanding of biology and medicine, while  also being reminded that the road to understanding ourselves is still  wide open with much more to learn in the decades, and even centuries, to  come. It is a fantastic journey on which he leads us and Dr. Moalem is a  kind, knowledgeable, humorous, and helpful guide.