Picture 1 of 1

Bite : An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans by Bill Schutt (2024, Hardcover)

Book Outlet Store (253212)

99% positive feedback

Price:

US $15.39

ApproximatelyAU $23.70

+ $22.46 postage

Estimated delivery Tue, 16 Sep - Thu, 25 Sep

Returns:

30-day returns. Buyer pays for return postage. If you use an eBay postage label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.

Condition:

Brand new

Great book!

About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherAlgonquin Books of Chapel Hill

ISBN-101643751786

ISBN-139781643751788

eBay Product ID (ePID)2335463056

Product Key Features

Book TitleBite : an Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans

Number of Pages320 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2024

TopicNatural History, Life Sciences / Evolution, Anthropology / Physical, Life Sciences / Zoology / General

IllustratorYes

GenreSocial Science, Science

AuthorBill Schutt

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.1 in

Item Weight17.3 Oz

Item Length9.3 in

Item Width6.4 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2024-005154

Reviews" Bite is a comprehensive jaunt through comparative biology, history, and popular culture regarding those critical itty bits. Worth sinking your teeth into." -- Roy A. Meals, MD, author of Bones and Muscle, "Bill Schutt's Bite is informative, at times amusing, and exhaustive, offering everything you ever hoped to know about teeth, and then some."-- East Hampton Star, Named a Best/Most Anticipated Book of the Season/Year by Amazon Book Review, the Next Big Idea Club , and Parade, "Who knew hagfish could be so interesting? Bite ranges across millions of years of evolution as Schutt explores the surprising importance of these stony nuggets inhabiting the mouths of animals. His writing is a mélange of science, history, and humor, as delightful to read as it is informative. Including a cast of quirky scientists as well as sharks, narwals and even George Washington, Schutt makes it all very accessible." -- Darrin Lunde, author of The Naturalist

SynopsisFrom three-inch fang blennies to thirty-foot prehistoric crocodiles, from gaboon vipers to Neanderthals, Bite is a fascinating journey through the natural, scientific, and cultural history of something right in front of--or in--our faces: teeth. In Bite , zoologist Bill Schutt makes a surprising case: it is teeth that are responsible for the long-term success of vertebrates. The appearance of teeth, roughly half a billion years ago, was an adaptation that allowed animals with backbones, such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, dinosaurs and mammals--including us--to chow down in pretty much every conceivable environment. And it's not just food. Tusks and fangs have played crucial roles as defensive weapons--glimpsing the upper canines of snarling dogs is all it takes to know that teeth are an efficient means of aggression. Vampire bats use their razor-sharp teeth to obtain a widespread but generally untappable resource: blood. Early humans employed their teeth as tools to soften tough fibers and animal hides. Our teeth project information and social status--the ancient Etruscans were the first to wear tooth bling, and it's doubtful that George Washington would have been elected president without the false teeth he wore. So much of what we know about life on this planet has come from the study of fossilized teeth, which have provided information not only about evolution but also about famine, war, and disease. In his signature witty style, the author of Pump and Cannibalism shows us how our continued understanding of teeth may help us humans through current and future crises, from Alzheimer's disease to mental health issues. Bite is popular science at its best and will appeal to readers of Mary Roach, Merlin Sheldrake, and Ed Yong., A shark can lose up to thirty thousand teeth over a lifetime. A thirty-foot prehistoric crocodile is believed to have had the greatest bite force of any animal-past or present. A six-foot Gaboon viper can have fangs up to two inches in length, with the ability to deliver enough venom to kill thirty full-grown adult humans. When not in use, the hinged fangs can be folded up against the roof of the mouth. The giant armadillo has the most teeth of any land mammal with 74, while the spinner dolphin is the toothiest of all mammals, with up to 260 sharp, pointed teeth filling its long, skinny jaw. Fang blennies, tiny reef fish, are sometimes swallowed whole by larger species. Once inside the mouth, they use their fangs to put a narcotic-laden bite on the predator who falls into an open-mouthed trance, allowing the fang blenny to escape. By the time George Washington became president in 1789, he had only one of his own teeth, and his false teeth were definitely not made of wood. Eighteenth-century dentures were commonly constructed with teeth from cows, horses, walruses, elephants, and hippos. Human teeth were also used. Venom from a South American pit viper was used to develop captopril-one of the most important drugs used to treat high blood pressure.

LC Classification NumberQL858.S38 2024