The Laws of Medicine (8 page)

by Pico Iyer

In a world beset by the distractions and demands of technology, acclaimed travel writer Pico Iyer reflects on why so many of us are desperate to unplug and bring stillness into our lives.

Follow Your Gut The Enormous Impact of Tiny Microbes

by Rob Knight with Brendan Buhler

In this eye-opening book, scientist Rob Knight reveals how the microscopic life within our bodies—particularly within our intestines—has an astonishing impact on our lives. Your health, mood, sleep patterns, eating preferences, and more can all be traced in part to the tiny creatures that live on and inside of you.

Why We Work

by Barry Schwartz

In this groundbreaking work, acclaimed writer and thinker Barry Schwartz dispels a deeply ingrained myth: The reason we work is primarily to get a paycheck. How did we come to believe this? Through fascinating studies and compelling anecdotes, Schwartz takes the reader on an eye-opening tour, illuminating the destructive way work operates in our culture and ultimately empowering readers to find their own path to good work.

How We'll Live on Mars

by Stephen Petranek

Within 20 years, humans will live on Mars. We'll need to. Award-winning journalist Stephen Petranek makes the case that living on Mars is not just plausible, but inevitable, thanks to new technology and the competitive spirit of the world's most forward-looking entrepreneurs.

TED Books are small books about big ideas. They're short enough to read in a single sitting, but long enough to delve deep into a topic. The wide-ranging series covers everything from architecture to business, space travel to love, and is perfect for anyone with a curious mind and an expansive love of learning.

Each TED Book is paired with a related TED Talk, available online at TED.com. The books pick up where the talks leave off. An 18-minute speech can plant a seed or spark the imagination, but many talks create a need to go deeper, to learn more, to tell a longer story. TED Books fill this need.

TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment, and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics—from science to business to global issues—in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.

TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives, and, ultimately, the world. On
TED.com
, we're building a clearinghouse of free knowledge from the world's most inspired thinkers—and a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other, both online and at TED and TEDx events around the world, all year long.

In fact, everything we do—from our TED Talks videos to the projects sparked by the TED Prize, from the global TEDx community to the TED-Ed lesson series—is driven by this goal: How can we best spread great ideas?

TED is owned by a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation.

Simon & Schuster

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Copyright © 2015 by Siddhartha Mukherjee

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health, or any other kind of personal professional services in the book. The reader should consult his or her medical, health or other competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it.

The author and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

The names and characteristics of some individuals have been changed.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Simon & Schuster Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

TED, the TED logo, and TED Books are trademarks of TED Conferences, LLC.

First TED Books hardcover edition October 2015

TED BOOKS and colophon are registered trademarks of TED Conferences, LLC.

SIMON & SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or
[email protected]
.

For information on licensing the TED Talk that accompanies this book, or other content partnerships with TED, please contact
[email protected]
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Cover and interior design by: MGMT. design

Cover and interior illustrations:
Iconographic Encyclopedia of Science, Literature, and Art
, New York: R. Garrigue, 185

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-4767-8484-7

ISBN 978-1-4767-8485-4 (ebook)