AT THE HUMAN EDGE

by Marcus Ranney

The book is a non fiction-based piece of popular science which unravels the amazing adaptive physiological responses that our bodies undergo as we push it to the limits in extreme sports and natural environments. Each chapter captures the history, geography and physical challenges which our bodies face when we as a species have tried to conquer the great outdoors. From Mt Everest to the South Pole, from a journey to Mars to the bottom of the Mariana trench, the book makes the subject accessible to readers, with a basic knowledge of science, and also tries to bring in the author's own personal experiences and those of many legends from this sphere. For the reader (someone interested in science, particularly the life sciences or those who enjoy the outdoors and partake in extreme sports and outdoor activities), this is aimed to make physiology accessible and relatable, not as a piece of academic text. The reader will come away with a stronger understanding of human physiology (particularly at the extreme), how the body first deteriorates, then adapts and finally excels when faced with running a marathon, summiting Everest or going to Mars. Its cross functional nature, being a piece of non-fiction / popular science with personal anecdotes and history mixed in, will make for an interesting and memorable reading.

Genres: Biology, Science, Nonfiction

Paperback

Published December 2, 2020

Reviews

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the human edge talks about how the human body reacts to extreme conditions such as scuba/deep-sea diving, going into space, running marathons or ultramarathons, living in the desert, climbing Everest or going to the South Pole. The author goes into great detail on how the body (muscles, skeletal system and at a cellular level) adapts to these conditions. IT was fascinating for me as I had read some of this in biology class several decades ago but there was a lot of new research as well that made me marvel at the resilience and malleability of internal systems. The earlier chapters are more interesting (Marathons, climbing Everest and South Pole) but the book gets a little too technical and is hard to read in the later chapters. Wikipedia helped me fill in the gaps. The book has some really fascinating insights into a less explored aspect of the human body from someone who has studied and experienced it himself as a test subject. Love the narration style as well.

Highly recommended read for people interested in the human body and also those into sports (especially adventure and extreme sports).

[Weronika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pełna ciekawej i przydatnej wiedzy!

[Ardianos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dobrze się czytało.

[Hetal Sonpal]

Finished reading this marvellous book by Dr. Marcus Ranney over the weekend. The first realisation was the amount of research and effort that went into producing this epic. Right from the top of Mount Everest to the bottom of the deepest seas. From the mighty Sahara desert to the Moon and beyond, Marcus has covered physiology and what happens to us in these extreme situations.
Great read on a very tough topic.

[Tomek Fiechowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Major part of the book was interesting and filled with breathtaking stories, descriptions and adventures. Absolutely recommend it to curious people - both about the limits of human body and when, where and how were they tested but also about the underlying biological mechanisms.

Personally, it went too much into the details and it took some joy from reading the actual stories.

[Magda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trip through human body with people who were able to put themselves to the extreme conditions and cross the border of what is possible.

[Harish kumar Vegi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This an inspirational, adventurous book with a lot of scientific reasoning. While reading I was lost in imagination. This gave me a lot of adrenaline rush and love for the good writing the author has. I am giving a five-star rating to this book. I want to visit all the places mentioned in the book with my group too.