Synopses & Reviews
A provocative, intellectually vibrant, eloquently written look at recent advances in the war on cancer that will challenge everything you thought you knew about the disease — and provide hope for tomorrow and into the future.
When science writer George Johnson's wife was diagnosed with a metastatic cancer, he plunged himself into a study of the disease and of the people who dedicate their lives to understanding and combating it. What he discovered is that a revolution is now under way — a thrilling explosion of theories about what cancer really is and where it comes from. Here we have his luminous accounts of, among other revelations: tumors that evolve like alien creatures inside the body... paleoncologists who have found petrified tumors clinging to the skeletons of dinosaurs and human ancestors... the surprising changes in science's understanding of the causes of cancer, with dietary specifics and environmental toxins taking a lesser role. The Cancer Chronicles is endlessly surprising and as radiant in its prose as it is authoritative in its eye-opening science.
About the Author
George Johnsosn writes regularly about science for The New York Times. He has also written for National Geographic, Slate, Discover, Scientific American, Wired, and The Atlantic, and his work has been included in The Best American Science Writing. A former Alicia Patterson fellow, he has received awards from PEN and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and his books were twice finalists for the Royal Society's book prize. He is a co-host of Science Faction on bloggingheads.tv and writes the blog Fire in the Mind for Discover. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.