The better half - Sharon Moalem

An award-winning medic and scientist makes the game-changing case that genetic females are stronger than males at every stage of life

'A powerful antidote to the myth of a "weaker sex"' Gina Rippon, author of The Gendered Brain

Here are some facts: Women live longer than men. They have stronger immune systems. They're better at fighting cancer and surviving famine, and even see the world in a wider variety of colours. They are simply stronger than men at every stage of life. Why? And why are we taught the opposite?

Drawing on his wide-ranging experience and cutting-edge research, Dr Sharon Moalem set out to understand why men are consistently less likely than women to thrive. The answer, he reveals, lies in our genetics: the female's double XX chromosomes offer a powerful survival advantage.

Moalem explains why genetic females triumph over males when it comes to resilience, intellect, stamina, immunity and much more. And he calls for a long-overdue reconsideration of our male-centric, one-size-fits-all view of the body and even of how we prescribe medications - a view that still frames women through the lens of men. Revolutionary, captivating and utterly persuasive, The Better Half will make you see women, men and the survival of our species anew.

Sharon Moalem, MD, PhD, is an award-winning genetics researcher, physician and bestselling author. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Survival of the Sickest and Inheritance, an Amazon Best Science Book of the Year, among other books. His work brings together evolution, genetics, and medicine to revolutionize how we understand and treat disease, and his clinical research led to the discovery of two new rare genetic conditions, and to his discovery of a first-in-class antibiotic which targets 'superbug' infections. His books have been translated into more than 35 languages.

Let's hear it for the X-chromosome! After decades, if not centuries, of bad press for women and their vulnerable biology, The Better Half gives chapter and verse to show that 'almost everything that is biologically difficult to do in life is done better by females'. An eye- and mind-opening celebration of the reserve genetic horsepower that having two X-chromosomes can bestow, The Better Half is a powerful antidote to the myth of a 'weaker sex'.
Gina Rippon, author of The Gendered Brain and Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Neuroimaging at Aston University, Birmingham

This book provides the crucial scientific reasoning behind why it is essential to include males and females, both in people and animals, in order to get accurate results in medical research.
Temple Grandin, New York Times bestselling author of 'The Autistic Brain' and 'Thinking in Pictures'

A compelling argument for the resilience seen in women. But the real genius is the poetic justice he metes out by highlighting the brilliant women who remain unsung heroes in these discoveries.
Showalter Professor at Indiana University School of Medicine and author of 'Pleased to Meet Me' - William J. Sullivan

The Better Half explores the genetic differences between males and females in a way that is both original and scientifically compelling. This book provides a great read, and lots to think about, for specialists and the public alike.
Han G. Brunner, MD, PhD, Professor of Human Genetics at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, and Maastricht University Medical Center, the Netherlands.

Although Dr. Moalem had me at the subtitle, I tore through this fascinating, eye-opening book in one sitting. Provocative, crackling with wit and insight, THE BETTER HALF argues that science has shortchanged women in all levels of research and convincingly reveals that the true differences between men and women come down to longevity, intellect, resilience, and immunity to disease. Now it all makes sense why 95 percent of people who have reached the age of 110 are women.
New York Times bestselling author of 'How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids' - Jancee Dunn

Moalem brings deep, yet highly-readable, scientific analysis to the perennial question of what makes men and women different. Ideally, this book will re-set that conversation in research labs, doctors' offices, classrooms, and dinner tables around the world."
E. Kinney Zalesne, New York Times bestselling collaborator on 'Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes'