MYSTERIES OF THE HUMAN BODY

A doctor digs into 20 common body myths and misconceptions, from why wet skin wrinkles up to whether brains can truly freeze and hearts can break.

Chowdhury offers plenty of unusual revelations: There actually is a “broken heart” syndrome, called “takotsubo cardiomyopathy,” and it’s not water but nerve impulses to local blood vessels that cause fingertips to wrinkle. The author takes each of his topics as an opportunity to describe a broader anatomical feature or process in simple but not reductive language. Readers get a refresher on the heart’s chambers as well as insight into the cardiac effects of physical or emotional stress, and a look at eye colors leads to notes on genes and mutation (because until 6,000–10,000 years ago, all human eyes were brown). Anyone who has marveled at the placebo effect or the mystery of déjà vu or contemplated why humans, dogs, chimps, and even unborn babies yawn will come away both enlightened and more aware than ever that our bodies are rich in unexplained wonders. Nelson’s free-form gatherings of body parts, fanciful spot images, and diversely hued human figures add notes of whimsy and loud color.

Absorbing insights into what makes us tick.