Disease can be our ally, not just our enemy, says evolutionary biologist

In a time when we worry about bird flu and contaminated spinach, Marlene Zuk, an evolutionary biologist at UC Riverside, offers a fresh perspective on disease and the role it plays in our lives. Her new book, Riddled with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites that Make Us Who We Are (Harcourt, 2007), argues that disease is not always our foe; it can be a vital partner and friend.

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<p><a href="http://www.physorg.com/news95002406.html">Disease can be our ally, not just our enemy, says evolutionary biologist</a></p> <p>In a time when we worry about bird flu and contaminated spinach, Marlene Zuk, an evolutionary biologist at UC Riverside, offers a fresh perspective on disease and the role it plays in our lives. Her new book, <i>Riddled with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites that Make Us Who We Are</i> (Harcourt, 2007), argues that disease is not always our foe; it can be a vital partner and friend.</p>