The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life
The indefatigable van Tulleken twins Chris and Xand – doctors, both – return for this fascinating three-part survey of our bodies and their capabilities, much of it based on recent research in molecular biology. This opener focuses on growth, beginning with birth and the near-miraculous properties of breast milk and following the story through to an 87-year-old triathlete. While it’s oddly reassuring to learn that there are still a few areas that remain a mystery to science, much of this will be both revelatory and digestible to the layman, even if it loses its focus a little by the time it tackles middle age.
The balance of hard science and human interest is well judged. The encounters with Britain’s tallest couple, a troupe of teenage gymnasts and a loved-up pair of twentysomethings are used to illustrate the earlier stages of life, garlanded with enlightening statistics (50 per cent of a child’s daily calorie intake is channelled towards brain development, cell regeneration allows our skeleton to be replaced every decade or so). The conclusion – that physical immortality may in fact be achievable – is both uplifting and rather chilling. Gabriel Tate