Chasing the sun : the new science of sunlight and how it shapes our bodies and minds / Linda Geddes.

  • Geddes, Linda
Date:
2019
  • Books

About this work

Description

Our ancestors constructed vast monuments like Stonehenge and Pyramids of Egypt and Central America to keep track of the sun and celebrate the annual cycle of death and rebirth. The returning sun heralds new beginnings. Indeed, for most of mankind's history, the sun has dictated our daily patterns of eating, sleeping and activity. It has shaped our culture and belief systems. Without the sun, there would be no oxygen to breathe, no food to eat, and life on Earth never would have existed. The sun has also shaped human biology. Bursting with original and cutting edge research, Chasing the Sun tells the full story of our long and complex relationship with the sun, from the emergence of life on earth, through to the modern day, and explores what it means to lose our connection with it. This book asks us to rethink the significance of the sun in our lives and to exploit our relationship to improve our health, sleep and productivity.

Publication/Creation

London : Profile Books, 2019.

Physical description

240 pages ; 23 cm

Notes

Published in association with Wellcome Collection.

Bibliographic information

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

Introduction -- The body clocks -- The body electric -- Shift work -- Doctor Sunshine -- Protection factor -- A dark place -- Midnight sun -- Light cure -- Fine-tuning the clock -- Clocks for society -- Epilogue.

Languages

Where to find it

  • LocationStatus
    History of Medicine
    AJF /GED
    Open shelves

Permanent link

Identifiers

ISBN

  • 9781781258323
  • 1781258325