The Secret Body

Brought to you by Penguin.

Welcome to a revolution in the science of human health. Imagine…

• Knowing years in advance whether you are likely to get certain cancers
• Having a bespoke understanding of your individual genes, organs and cells
• Following a diet and health regime tailored to your microbiome
• Continuous monitoring of your body’s workings and well-being
• Taking drugs that improve your cognition and help to acquire new skills
• Manipulating the genes of your unborn children to eliminate disease or even enhance their capabilities

Traversing six key frontiers of human biology, Daniel Davis shows how these radical possibilities have been made real – thanks to the ingenious, decades-long work of scientists whose breakthrough discoveries are transforming our understanding of how the body works, what it is capable of and how we might manipulate it.

By bringing together the latest understanding of the immune system, the brain, the microbiome, the interaction of cells and the development of the foetus, including developments such as optogenetics, super-resolution microscopy, the Human Cell Atlas and Systems Biology, we arrive at a vision of the human body of dizzying complexity, wonder and possibility.

Written by an award-winning scientist at the forefront of this adventure, The Secret Body is a gripping drama of discovery and a landmark account of the dawning revolution in human health that reveals a hitherto invisible universe within each of us.