I liked the parts of the book that focus more on the physical oddities of the body. These weren't vestigal organs or anything but the very oddly long nerves that control our vocal cords for instance. The more psychological "errors" was a little less interesting.

I wanted to like this book but it felt like something that I have already read before. I couldn't finish it.

Human Errors, by Nathan H. Lents, is a light, quick tour of some of the ways our human bodies are evidence of poor design, from our weak senses to our way-too-fragile ACL to our seemingly constant battle with back pain. Mostly engaging, often humorous, almost always informative if at times a bit sketchy, Lents does a nice job in conveying the way nature works in not just mysterious but often random ways.

Oftentimes, people mistake evolution and natural selection as a targeted means to an improved end. What Lents makes starkly clear is, based as so much of it is on random mutation, evolution is hardly that. It’s instead a groping forward in the dark, lighting on some changes that are an improvement, but landing as well on others that are anything but. Besides detailing those changes and their impact, he also explains why those detrimental effects were “allowed” to hang around in our species.

One reason, for instance, is that way back in our pre-human (pre-primate, pre-mammal) days, evolution struck on a solution to a problem and just never looked back (often because other changes in bodily form and function made “fixing” things impossible). An example of this is our larynx nerve that could head directly from our voice box to the brain, covering hardly any distance at all. Instead, it loops ridiculously circuitously through our bodies, around heart, ending up several times longer than it “needs to be.” All because that’s the way it worked in fish. You know, who don’t have any necks. So there you go.

Wonder why your pet never seems to suffer from colds like you do? Turns out because their sinus cavities, like most animals, drain downward, taking advantage of gravity to keep them clear. We, though, have ours drain upward, which seems a little silly. Though not as silly as having a common pathway for our air and our food, as anyone who has ever choked knows. As for those aforementioned joint injuries and back pain, blame that on our bodies not yet having had enough time to fully adapt to a bipedal life system (though we have adapted somewhat, which is why you won’t find knucklewalking or crawling to be a solution to your lumbago). And let’s not even get started on the human reproduction system. After reading Lents’ chapter on this monstrosity of design you’ll wonder how it’s possible any humans were ever born, let alone in such numbers as to overwhelm the planet.

A pleasant surprise in the book is that Lents doesn’t simply stick to the basic body — its skeleton, joints, organs (though surprisingly not the appendix), sensory system, etc. — but also includes design flaws around genetic failings, flaws in the working of our brain (false memories, poor decision making), and dietary issues. How, for instance, did we manage to survive when the gene that allowed us to synthesize our own (necessary) vitamin C became broken? Because at that point we lived in an environment that easily provided that essential vitamin via our diet of fruit. But once we expanded our horizons and headed off into less “fruity” spots (i.e. less hospitable to our bodies), we suffered the ravages of scurvy. Thanks to agriculture and then modern technology, we now can easily compensate for our inability to make our own vitamin C, just as technology has allowed us to overcome many of our design flaws (consider how the rate of childbirth mortality for both the child and the mother has plummeted over time). Ironically, however, technology also has at times contributed to our dietary pitfalls, as when polishing rice (white rice) removed an essential B vitamin, though we didn’t realize it at the time (once we found out we fixed that problem so that the ensuing disease — beriberi — became rare in developed countries)

It’s all very clearly and concisely laid out, whether Lents is explaining how evolution prizes short-term gain over long-term gain, why cephalopods have a much more logically designed eye than we do, or why we make some truly dumb decisions. He maintains a light, conversational tone throughout, and while he can be funny, the humor almost never feels forced. And he is careful to regulate his tone so it matches his subject, dropping the humor for instance when he discusses some of the more horrific auto-immune diseases that plague our species. While Lent’s prose doesn’t shine, it’s more than adequate to his purpose, is as noted always clear, and moves along smoothly.

My only complaint is that at times I found myself wishing we had spent a bit more time in an area, had delved more deeply into the why’s and how’s. That said, any book that covers so many topics in such an interesting fashion that it leaves you wanting to research more on your own on the topic is a successful popular science book in my mind. Easy, therefore, to recommend it.

Nathan H. Lents is a biology professor at John Jay College, City University of New York, In his new book, Human Errors: A Panorama Of Our Glitches, From Pointless Bones to Broken Genes, he explores the ways in which the human body is flawed.

Why has he written this book? The author more eloquently explains that better than I could. From the book:

“Despite the fact that we often take them for granted, the capabilities of the human body are simply wondrous —miraculous even. So why not write a book about that?

Because you’ve heard about it many times. Those books have already been written. If you want a book about the glorious intricacy of the human body, you are in luck —simply walk into any medical library, and you will find tens of thousands of volumes. If you count biomedical journals, where new discoveries are announced, the number of accolades to the greatness of the human form rises into the tens of millions. There is no shortage of words and pages dedicated to how well the body usually works.

This is not that story. This is a story of our many flaws, from head to toe.

As it turns out, our flaws are extremely interesting and informative. By exploring human shortcomings, we can peer into our past. Each and every flaw discussed in this book tells a story about our species’ evolutionary history. Every cell, every protein, and every letter in our DNA code has been subjected to the harshness of natural selection over the fullness of evolutionary time. All of that time and all of that selection has resulted in a body form that is fantastically robust, strong, resilient, clever, and mostly successful in the great rat race of life. But it is not perfect. We have retinas that face backward, the stump of a tail, and way too many bones in our wrists. We must find vitamins and nutrients in our diets that other animals simply make for themselves. We are poorly equipped to survive in the climates in which we now live. We have nerves that take bizarre paths, muscles that attach to nothing, and lymph nodes that do more harm than good. Our genomes are filled with genes that don’t work, chromosomes that break, and viral carcasses from past infections. We have brains that play tricks on us, cognitive biases and prejudices, and a tendency to kill one another in large numbers. Millions of us can’t even reproduce successfully without a whole lot of help from modern science.

Our flaws illuminate not only our evolutionary past but also our present and future. Everyone knows that it is impossible to understand current events in a specific country without understanding the history of that country and how the modern state came to be. The same is true for our bodies, our genes, and our minds. In order to fully grasp any aspect of the human experience, we must understand how it took shape. To appreciate why we are the way that we are, we must first appreciate what we once were. To twist the old saying a bit, we can’t understand where we are now if we don’t know where we came from.

Most of the human design flaws that I describe in this book fall into one of three categories.

First, there are aspects of our design that evolved in a different world than the one we now inhabit. Evolution is messy and takes time. Our species’ tendency to gain weight easily and lose weight only with difficulty made very good sense in the Pleistocene savannas of Central Africa but not so much in a twenty-first-century developed nation.

The next category of flaws includes those of incomplete adaptation. For example, the human knee is the product of a redesign that took place as our ancestors gradually shifted from a quadrupedal posture and an arboreal lifestyle to a bipedal posture and a mostly terrestrial lifestyle. Most of the various components of the knee adapted very well to the new demands placed on this crucial joint, but not all of the kinks were worked out. We are almost fully adapted to upright walking —but not quite.

The third category of human defects are those that are due to nothing more than the limits of evolution. All species are stuck with the bodies that they have and they can advance only through the tiniest changes, which occur randomly and rarely. We inherited structures that are horrendously inefficient but impossible to change. This is why our throats convey both food and air through the same tiny space and why our ankles have seven pointless bones sloshing around. Fixing either of those poor designs would require much more than one-at-a-time mutations could ever accomplish.”

As a non-biologist, I found this book easy to understand. I also found myself amazed that most of we humans biologically function as well as we do in our daily lives. Some chapters were quite interesting to me, as a layman, others less so. Of course, the chapters that interested me the most were those about human frailties that I personally have like poor eyesight and nearsightedness for example. Others were less so. The book was positive when I think about how we function as well as we do, but also negative when one reads about so many parts of our bodies that don’t work well one after another.

Humans are generally proud of how dominant we are in our world. After reading this book it is remarkable to me that we can do all that we do despite the fact that we’re not the fastest nor strongest. We don’t have the most developed senses. What we have that makes up for that is we’ve got powerful brains.

If you are interested in this topic, this book was well done in terms of being understandable with complete explanations about why we biologically are the way we are.

Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book and for allowing me to review it.

#HumanErrors #NetGalley

The book has been written by Nathan, a Biology's Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The book explains many human body physical defect from the biomechanical point of view and which were generated by ADN mutations from the past four million of years of Evolution. The book is well documented and it contains practical illustration and a complete bibliography. The book can be used for medical classes such as physiology.

This book is a nice collection of straight forward examples of where biology has created failures; however, ones that make sense. In other words, where evolution chose traits not for the long term. It is a nice, easy, quick read with lay science explanations that demonstrate understandable examples to support Darwin's theory. I like it for the simplicity and relateable examples and will definitely include it on my list of Supplemental Reads for my Intro Biology course.

An interesting book full of intriguing information helpful to understand our own body, and the mechanisms of evolution.
Language is clear, simple enough to be read by a non-expert, but not childish. Recommended

I think the highlight of reading this was that I hit the "scurvy" section right as it started happening in AMC's The Terror. Got to impress everyone with my "why the cats don't need to have Vitamin C pills crushed into their food" exposition, which made for a good break in between yelling and being horrified! Do recommend to anyone who wants to learn about flaws in the human design and biology in general.

Human Errors details some of these ‘errors’ and includes some fascinating examples. Our dodgy knees are a hangover from our primate days, and were never meant to support us standing up. Our retinas are the wrong way round and we’d be much better off if we had the eyes of an octopus.

There are chapters which focus on the more serious consequences of these errors – such as hereditary diseases and autoimmune conditions which lead the body to attack itself.

I was fascinated by the chapter on reproduction and loved the image of menopausal orca whales leading hunting packs of young males, but when I thought about it later, I wasn’t clear whether the author thinks the menopause in humans is an error at all.

There’s also an epilogue which is more speculative. Lents’ argument seems to be that the inventiveness of humans allows us to outpace our errors, or even turn them into strengths. However these strengths can also be weaknesses. He argues that selfishness and short-term thinking may well lead humanity to destroy itself and the planet. This seems to be more about philosophy than science.

Overall though, this is an informative and entertaining read for a non-scientist like me and the quirky examples make the underlying facts more memorable.

A humorous and yet well-researched book on the myriad of foibles and design flaws of the human body. Believe me, as a person gets further along in years it becomes more and more obvious that the human body has inherent flaws. I enjoyed the author’s writing style very much. It was informative but not too dry or academic. A good and worthwhile read for sure.
My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Our bodies are amazing. Even more so given the impersonal and imperfect processes of evolution. It's interesting to read how we came to be stuck with some unfortunate limitations, yet still, dominate as a species. For a book about science facts, <i> Human Errors</i> shines in that it's not super technical, but not dumbed-down to a childish level. I think this book hits the sweet spot for what it is. I've read books in the (what I'll call) rundown-of-interesting-facts genre that are far less satisfying.


<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a digital ARC. All views are my own.</i>

According to Nathan Letts human evolution has led to a whole catalogue of “errors” in the human body and he claims that in many ways we are badly designed - from faulty knees that can’t cope with us walking upright to genetic mutations that lead to many conditions and disabilities. It’s an interesting and entertaining book, written in a lively and accessible style, but as other reviewers have pointed out errors in some of his conclusions I now doubt the accuracy of some of what I took as fact. Nevertheless it’s a good fun read and definitely provides food for thought.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

It's full of intriguing information that I found really helpful to better understand myself and my peers. We may think we are the best that nature has created and this book disabuses us of that notion, showing all the errors that ours bodies have accumulated through the ages.

I totally recommend it if you are interested on medicine, behavior or just plain curious about our evolution

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) for providing me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
When I saw this book on offer, I could not resist. I studied Medicine and have been fascinated by Biology and the Natural Sciences for ages. I have also thought and often commented on our (mostly mine, but yes, most of the issues are general, not exclusive to me) flawed design, no matter how superior we feel to the rest of the species that share the planet with us. In a later chapter of the book, the author sums it up observing that if we participated in an Olympic Games-style contest that included all of the Earth’s species, we would not win at anything, apart from perhaps decathlon (or chess if it was included), as we are generalists. We might not be able to compete with the physical prowess shown by many other species (we are not the fastest, the strongest, the best hunters, the ones who jump higher or who can run for longer), but we can do many things to a reasonable level. And yes, we are pretty intelligent (however we choose to use our minds).
There is enough material to fill several books under the general title of this book, and Lents chooses pretty interesting ones (although I guess some will appeal to some readers more than others). He talks about pointless bones and anatomical errors, our diet (here he talks about our tendency to obesity and our need to eat a varied diet due to the fact that our bodies have lost the ability to synthesise a number of vitamins, amino acids… while other species do),junk in the genome (issues to do with our DNA), homo sterilis (we are not very good at reproducing as a species), why God invented doctors (about our immune system and autoimmune diseases, cancer…), a species of suckers (about cognitive biases. The title of the chapter refers to P.T. Barnum’s edict ‘a sucker born every minute’ although as the author notes, this is an underestimate), and he discusses the possible future of humanity in the epilogue. There is a fair amount of information contained in this book, and that includes some useful illustrations, and notes at the end (I read an ARC copy, but it is possible that the final version contains even more documentation and resources). It is an educational read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I listened to the book thanks to the text-to-speech facility, and it suits it well, as it has a very conversational tone and manages to impart lots of information without being overbearing or obscure. I read some reviews suggesting that it was so packed with facts that it was better to read it in small bites. Personally, I read it in a few days and never got bored of it, but it might depend on the reader’s interest in the subject.
I was familiar with some of the content but I appreciated the author’s take and the way he organised the materials. Although I enjoyed the whole book, I was particularly interested in the chapters on genetics (the DNA analysis and the identification of specific genes have moved on remarkably since I completed my degree) and on cognitive biases. As a doctor, I also agreed with his comments about autoimmune diseases, the difficulties in their diagnosis, and how these illnesses can sometimes be confused with psychiatric illnesses (being a psychiatrist, I know only too well this can happen). Of course, as is to be expected from the topic, the book reflects on the development of the species and discusses natural selection and evolution, and I was fascinated by the reviews of people who took his arguments as personal attacks on their beliefs. I agree that some of his interpretations and his hypothesis of the reasons for some of these flaws can be debatable, but that does not apply to the facts, and I did not feel the book is intended as a provocation but as a source of information, and entertainment. As the writer notes, we remember better (and believe in) anecdotes and stories than we do dry data. (I am not an expert on the subject but was fascinated by the comments on his blog.)
I found the book fascinating, and as a writer, I thought it was full of information useful to people thinking of writing in a variety of genres, from science-fiction (thoughts about how other species might evolve crossed my mind as I read it), historical fiction (if we go back many years), and any books with a focus on human beings and science. I would recommend checking a sample of the book to see if the writer’s style suits the reader. I highlighted many lines (and was surprised when I learned that female Bluefin tunas don’t reach sexual maturity until they are twenty years old and was pleased to learn about the important roll old female orcas play in their society) but I particularly like this one:
Scurvy is a dystopian novel written by the human body.
A great read for those who prefer non-fiction and fact-packed books, perfect for people with little time, as it can be picked up and savoured in bite-size instalments, and a book that might pique our interest in and lead to further research on some of the topics. Experts are unlikely to find new information here, but other readers will come out enlightened and with plenty to think about. I strongly recommend it.

As I approach my 60th birthday, I find that I need reading glasses to peruse the newspaper. Thanks to torn cartridge in my knees, I can’t stand for long without being in pain. Most of the little hair I have left has turned gray. And I’m taking pills for blood pressure, high cholesterol and, thanks to a genetic mutation, vitamin D deficiency.
I’ve always thought that these problems are due to my advancing age. But, according to Nathan H. Lents’ book, Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Glitches From Pointless Bones to Broken Genes, the villain is human evolution itself.
Most books about human evolution follow the same narrative: defenseless, shrimpy hominids pop up in the African savanna. They gradually develop gigantic brains. The next thing you know, they are building cities, designing video games and charging $3.00 for a cup of coffee.
Lents’ book turns this narrative on its head. Human Errors is about the mistakes and bad designs natural selection has left us with. The book’s main argument is that natural selection comes up with a design that works well enough to keep us from becoming extinct and then stops. It’s as if Apple stopped after making the IPhone 4.
When our ancestors changed their behavior, these design flaws became apparent. Walking upright on two legs puts more weight on our spine and knees than they evolved to handle. The result is chronic back and knee pain.
Due to a mutation, our ancestors lost the ability to synthesize vitamin C, so we must take it in our food each day. Our ancestors survived this mutation because they lived in an area where there were plenty of fresh fruits containing the vitamin. But when humans began to practice agriculture, we switched to a diet of mostly grain. Then, vitamin C deficiency became a serious problem.
Lent also shows how some of our evolutionary defects only became apparent when our life spans increased. As we age, the eye’s lens becomes thicker. This causes most people to become farsighted. In addition, the lens develops cataracts. If you live long enough, it is inevitable that cataracts will cause you to go blind. These lens defects were not an issue when our ancestors only lived to be 35 to 40 years old.
Human Errors deals extensively with out teeth and their various defects. Our shrinking jaw crowds our teeth together so that orthodontists maintain a healthy business. Our switch, in modern times, to a sugar-heavy diet has caused tooth decay to become the most wide-spread disease in the Western world.
The book delves into the cellular level to examine why the majority of our DNA doesn’t code for any particular protein; the so-called junk DNA.
Lents’ book also details our bizarre reproductive processes. We produce far more eggs than can ever be fertilized. If an egg does manage to get fertilized, it often fails to implant on the uterine wall in time. Sperm are forced to swim against gravity into a deadly pH environment.
Unlike other primates, human females don’t undergo physical changes to signal when they are ovulating. As a result, sexual intercourse is hit-or-miss in terms of procreation. After reading the chapter on reproduction, it’s a wonder any of us have children at all.
While Lents does not bring up creationism, Human Errors provides a powerful attack on said theory. It is hard to imagine an intelligent designer creating a body with so many defects in it. Try to conceive an architect drawing blueprints that are mostly scribbles and random lines. And yet, that is what most of our DNA essentially is.
With all of the built-in flaws that evolution has stuck us with, the reader can’t help but wonder why we have not become as extinct as the dodo. Lents’ answer is that natural selection has also gifted us with a large cerebral cortex. Our brains have allowed us to develop compensations for our flaws: clothes, eyeglass, antibiotics, artificial joints and even genetic therapy.
But this same brain has created nuclear weapons and environmental catastrophes which, may yet, lead to our demise.
Human Errors is detailed and crammed with facts , but written in a light, accessible style, with dashes of humor. It should be appreciated by anyone interested in human biology and science in general.

A fun and folksy read about the glitches in the human body and brain, their origins and the problems they cause. There is a wide array of examples from various disciplines dealing with human anatomy, physiology, neurology and cognition, and comparisons and contrasts to other animals that share or avoid our evolutionary mishaps. Despite its conversational tone, the information provided is as scientifically accurate and up-to-date as is known. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy this.

From bad knees to backward retinas to autoimmune disease and the uptick in peanut allergies, Professor Nathan Lents' book <b>Human Errors</b> is told in a conversational tone that brings anatomy and physiology to the masses. Since the beginning of time we humans have been in awe of ourselves and what makes us especially unique creatures. Usually we emphasize that which makes us "more complex" or "more highly evolved" ignorant of the randomness of mutations and the misdirection of evolution. Here, Lents instead focuses on these evolutionary "glitches" and explains how they lead to different ailments and diseases that impact humans.
I initially picked up this book to see if I would be able to incorporate any of the material into my own biology lectures. I especially liked some of the analogies Lents used:
~Pseudogenes likened to cars with missing spark plugs -- on the outside all appears in tip top shape but you will never get from Point A to Point B without that missing piece.
~Dietary diseases described as the <i>"dystopian novels written by the human body"</i>
~Predisposition to developmental septal defects: odds of tripping -- both dependent on a variety of different factors (laces tied or untied, long vs. short laces, etc.) with a range of probability.
Reminiscent of one of my all time favorite biology books, <b>Why We Get Sick:The New Science of Darwinian Medicine</b> by Randolph M. Nesse and George C. Williams, <b>Human Errors</b> definitely deserves a place on my physical bookshelf.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Edelweiss, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Nathan Lents for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

(3.5 stars) Lents is a biology professor at John Jay College, City University of New York, and in this, his second book, he explores the ways in which the human body is flawed. These errors come in three categories: adaptations to the way the world was for early humans (to take advantage of once-scarce nutrients, we gain weight quickly – but lose it only with difficulty); incomplete adaptations (our knees are still not fit for upright walking); and the basic limitations of our evolution (inefficient systems such as the throat handling both breath and food, and the recurrent laryngeal nerve being three times longer than necessary because it loops around the aorta). Consider that myopia rates are 30% or higher, the retina faces backward, sinuses drain upwards, there are 100+ autoimmune diseases, we have redundant bones in our wrist and ankle, and we can’t produce most of the vitamins we need. Put simply, we’re not a designer’s ideal. And yet this all makes a lot of sense for an evolved species.

My favorite chapter was on the inefficiencies of human reproduction compared to that of other mammals. Infertility and miscarriage rates are notably high, and gestation is shorter than it really needs to be: because otherwise their heads would get too big to pass through the birth canal, all babies are effectively born premature, so are helpless for much longer than other newborn mammals. I also especially liked the short section on cancer, which would eventually get us all if we only lived long enough. As it is, “evolution has struck an uneasy balance with cancer. Mutations cause cancer, which kills individuals, but it also brings diversity and innovation, which is good for the population.”

Lents writes in a good conversational style and usually avoids oversimplifying the science. In places his book reminded me of Kathryn Schulz’s Being Wrong and Mark O’Connell’s To Be a Machine. It’s a wry and gentle treatment of human weakness; the content never turns depressing or bitter. Recommended for all curious readers of popular science.

Favorite lines:

“While lithopedions [“stone babies”] and abdominal pregnancies are quite rare, they are also 100 percent the result of poor design. Any reasonable plumber would have attached the fallopian tube to the ovary, thereby preventing tragic and often fatal mishaps like these.”

“to call our immune system perfectly designed would be equally inaccurate. There are millions of people who once happily walked this planet only to meet their demise because their bodies simply self-sabotaged. When bodies fight themselves, there can be no winner.”

I really enjoyed the first half to two thirds of this book -- it was a straight forward, conversational and highly accessible discussion of quirks of evolution such as human vision, overly long nerves, and sinuses that drain the wrong way -- along with explanations of how they came to be and the advantages or disadvantages. It's comprehensive enough and covers comparisons to other species (mammal and non) -- and extremely interesting.

I especially enjoyed the chapter on diet and nutrition -- this is one of the most clear discussions around micronutrients I have read. I could actually hear this in my head like it was a seminar or an interview on "Fresh Air." The chapter on DNA and then disease were also interesting -- with particular focus on how autoimmune diseases are puzzling (esp lupus). Even the chapter on reproduction being a rather flawed process was interesting.

Then, the book makes a bit of a switch into neuroscience and cognition -- talking about how humans carry certain errors with them (like gambler's fallacy) and the advantages of young people being reckless. Near the end -- the author turns more to a bit of an existential and philosophical discussion around the impending demise of humanity due to our selfishness and potential solutions.

I can't help but feel that this is at once sincere but also a reaction to the usual charge of social science books not providing enough of a solution to the issues they raise. It's sort of general and helpful/not-helpful and doesn't really fit as a conclusion to the first 2/3 of the book: "Our population growth, environmental destruction, and poor stewardship of natural resources threaten the prosperity that we have sought to create for ourselves."

I hope future editions have a more relevant conclusion or summary -- this conclusion seemed a bit disconnected.

Will we be able to move past our stalled adaptation to Pleistocene life, our needlessly complicated body, and our excessive lode of useless DNA – among other things? Well, we’ve survived up until this point against some incredible odds and our own faulty designs. I enjoyed this look at a selection of the things about us that ought to have eliminated us eons ago along with the other Hominini and marveled that we’ve made it to the stage where we are able to write and read books about ourselves. B