What's Wrong with Our Bodies

Midday on WNYC | Aug 8, 2018

Biologist Nathan Lents of "This World of Humans" podcast discusses his new book Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes, which highlights broken genes, pointless mutations, and other things about our bodies that just do not work. Some examples of these “human errors” include the fact that our irises are facing backwards, our sinuses drain upside down causing us to have 200 times as many head colds than dogs, and how we are some of the only animals on earth that cannot produce our own vitamin C. Each of these errors can be traced back to mutations in our DNA and the process of evolution, which is more flawed than we might think. 

Nathan Lents will be hosting a panel at the 92nd Street Y with Carl Zimmer, Maria Konnikova and Sebastian Seung.

On August 19 at 2:00 pm Nathan Lents will be speaking at the New York City Skeptics. 

This segment is guest hosted by Cindy Rodriguez.

Be alert for scams. WNYC never asks for nor accepts money for coverage or interviews. Anyone making such a request does not represent WNYC.

Top Stories

Darializa Avila-Chevalier on Mamdani, ICE and the NYPD

Has MAGA Lost Faith in Donald Trump? Plus, Molly Fischer on Waymo

Watch: Test your news knowledge with Brian Lehrer

A Nobel Peace Prize Winner on the State of Press Freedom and Democracy

YOU ARE ONLINE