What will I learn about: why the raw elements of a human body cost over $150,000 and how millions of years of evolutionary trials have shaped your true worth and resilience?

Discover why the raw elements of a human body cost over $150,000 and how millions of years of evolutionary trials have shaped your true worth and resilience.

What will I learn about: how your skin functions as a dynamic ecosystem, protecting you with a shedding layer of dead cells while hosting trillions of helpful microbes?

Understand how your skin functions as a dynamic ecosystem, protecting you with a shedding layer of dead cells while hosting trillions of helpful microbes.

What will I learn about: Explore the complex architecture of your three-pound brain, from the emotion-processing amygdala to the multitasking hypothalamus that manages hunger, sleep, and aging?

Explore the complex architecture of your three-pound brain, from the emotion-processing amygdala to the multitasking hypothalamus that manages hunger, sleep, and aging.

What will I learn about: Learn about the unmatched power of your heart, which circulates 70 gallons of blood per hour and relies exclusively on coronary arteries rather than its internal chambers for nourishment?

Learn about the unmatched power of your heart, which circulates 70 gallons of blood per hour and relies exclusively on coronary arteries rather than its internal chambers for nourishment.

What will I learn about: how your internal chemistry sustains your well-being, from the life-saving production of insulin to the friendly gut microbes that tirelessly defend against harmful bacteria?

Find out how your internal chemistry sustains your well-being, from the life-saving production of insulin to the friendly gut microbes that tirelessly defend against harmful bacteria.

The Body

A Guide for Occupants

Bill Bryson

★ 4.4 / 5(582 ratings)

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Science

If You're Curious About These Questions...

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💡Did you know how surprisingly little it would actually cost to buy the raw chemical elements needed to build a human body from scratch?
💡Have you ever wondered about the trillions of tiny, automated miracles happening inside you every second that keep you alive without you ever noticing?
💡Are you curious about the hidden 'civilization' of microbes living on your skin and in your gut that exerts more control over your health than you might think?

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Key Takeaways from The Body

✓Discover why the raw elements of a human body cost over $150,000 and how millions of years of evolutionary trials have shaped your true worth and resilience.
✓Understand how your skin functions as a dynamic ecosystem, protecting you with a shedding layer of dead cells while hosting trillions of helpful microbes.
✓Explore the complex architecture of your three-pound brain, from the emotion-processing amygdala to the multitasking hypothalamus that manages hunger, sleep, and aging.
✓Learn about the unmatched power of your heart, which circulates 70 gallons of blood per hour and relies exclusively on coronary arteries rather than its internal chambers for nourishment.
✓Find out how your internal chemistry sustains your well-being, from the life-saving production of insulin to the friendly gut microbes that tirelessly defend against harmful bacteria.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from The Body

Mind Map

The Body

Composition & Origins+

The Microbiome+

Brain & Nervous System+

Heart & Blood+

Hormones+

Skeleton & Bipedalism+

Diet & Digestion+

Sleep & Rhythms+

Gender & Reproduction+

Disease & Mortality+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 11

According to the text, what is the fundamental realization scientists have when calculating the cost and materials needed to build a human body from scratch?

A. It is surprisingly cheap and simple to build a functioning human.
B. We lack the exact chemical elements needed on Earth.
C. Even with all the right elements, we cannot create the miracle of life.
D. The human body requires over 200 rare elements to function properly.

Question 2 of 11

What is highlighted as a major, mounting threat regarding our relationship with microbes?

A. The discovery that most viruses inside us cause deadly diseases.
B. The overprescription of antibiotics leading to bacterial resistance.
C. The fact that our bodies produce too many digestive enzymes on their own.
D. The eradication of all beneficial fungi due to modern diets.

Question 3 of 11

Which of the following is a true statement about the human brain?

A. We only use about 10 percent of our brain's full capacity at any given moment.
B. It requires massive amounts of calories, equivalent to several large meals a day.
C. It uses 20 percent of our body's energy despite being highly efficient.
D. Its physical size is uniquely massive compared to the brains of all other mammals.

Question 4 of 11

How has the medical understanding and treatment of blood evolved, as illustrated by the death of George Washington?

A. Doctors used to believe the heart was on the right side of the chest instead of the center.
B. Doctors historically used bloodletting as a standard treatment, which often did more harm than good.
C. Doctors previously thought white blood cells carried oxygen instead of red blood cells.
D. Doctors used to successfully create artificial blood before the formula was lost to time.

Question 5 of 11

Before the 1920s, why was a diagnosis of diabetes effectively a death sentence?

A. The body produced too much growth hormone, leading to fatal infections.
B. The pancreas would rupture from excessive fluid buildup.
C. Patients lacked the hormone oxytocin, leading to severe cellular breakdown.
D. The body could not produce enough insulin to regulate rising blood sugar levels.

Question 6 of 11

According to the text, what is a direct evolutionary consequence of humans becoming bipedal (walking on two feet)?

A. The development of an opposable thumb.
B. A narrower pelvis, which makes childbirth more painful and dangerous.
C. The loss of the thirteenth pair of ribs in most humans.
D. A decreased need for sleep compared to other primates.

Question 7 of 11

How did the advent of cooking fundamentally change human evolution?

A. It allowed humans to evolve smaller teeth and a comparatively weak jaw while extracting more energy from food.
B. It eliminated the body's need to produce stomach acid to kill off harmful microbes.
C. It caused the human jaw to become significantly stronger and wider to chew cooked meat.
D. It entirely replaced the need for humans to consume essential vitamins and minerals.

Question 8 of 11

What recent biological discovery helps explain how our bodies know when it is day or night?

A. The presence of a fourth section in the brain dedicated solely to tracking time.
B. A third type of photoreceptor cell in the eye that detects brightness.
C. A specialized hormone produced by the bones called osteocalcin.
D. The rapid division of cells in the pineal gland during twilight hours.

Question 9 of 11

Why might babies born via Cesarean section have a higher risk of developing conditions like asthma or Type 1 diabetes?

A. They are exposed to too much oxygen immediately after birth.
B. They bypass the birth canal and miss out on the initial transfer of the mother's microbes.
C. The placenta is usually damaged during a Cesarean section.
D. They do not receive enough oxytocin during the surgical delivery.

Question 10 of 11

What does Professor Daniel Lieberman mean by "mismatch diseases"?

A. Diseases that occur when a patient receives the wrong type of blood during a transfusion.
B. Conditions caused by the discrepancy between our modern lifestyles and our hunter-gatherer evolutionary biology.
C. Genetic diseases that only affect a tiny fraction of the population, like pycnodysostosis.
D. Communicable viruses that mutate too quickly for our immune systems to match them.

Question 11 of 11

According to epidemiologist Thomas McKeown, what primarily drove the decline in deaths from diseases like tuberculosis in the 19th century, even before effective treatments existed?

A. The natural mutation of the viruses making them less deadly to humans.
B. The widespread use of early, primitive antibiotics like penicillin.
C. Improvements in general life conditions, such as better sanitation, diet, and food transport.
D. The evolutionary strengthening of the human immune system over a single century.

The Body — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
2The human body is truly a miraculous thing.
3We are not alone: trillions of microbes live in us and keep us alive.
4Your head houses one of the universe’s most extraordinary things: your brain.
5Our knowledge of the heart and blood has grown, but still has far to go.
6Hormones are vital yet enigmatic chemicals made inside the body.
7Humans evolved a uniquely flexible structure that lets us walk upright.
8You really are what you eat – including every bit of that sugar.
9Our body keeps track of time so it knows when we should sleep.
10Medical research on women lags behind, and childbirth research is still young.
11We’re beating infectious disease – but other illnesses will take us instead.
12We’ve grown better at postponing death, yet it awaits us all.

The Body Summary & Overview

The Body: A Guide for Occupants (2019) is an entertaining and fact-filled account of how we all work. With his trademark wit, Bill Bryson explains the astonishing ways in which our bodies are put together, and what goes on inside them.

Who Should Listen to The Body?

Popular science fans
Biology and medicine enthusiasts
Anyone keen to learn more about their own body

About the Author: Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson is a best-selling American author who lived in the UK for many years. His books include Notes from a Small Island, which in 2003 was voted the book that best represents England, and A Short History of Nearly Everything, which won both the Aventis and Descartes prizes.

The Body

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to The Body — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from The Body

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

The Body — Full Chapter Overview

The Body Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to The Body?

About the Author: Bill Bryson

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