Mary Roach has built her career uncovering the stranger-than-fiction realities of science. In her new book, "Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy," she turns her eye to the human body itself. The body is the most complex machine in the world, yet one without factory-issued spare parts. Roach dives into the history and future of medicine’s attempts to patch us back together, from brass noses and frog skin grafts to jet-canopy eye parts and pig hearts.
Roach examines the cutting-edge world of regenerative medicine and the ethical questions it raises: When should a patient choose a prosthetic over a failing limb? How do surgeons balance sensitivity with necessity when harvesting donor tissue? Which animals might become tomorrow’s organ donors?
With her signature wit and curiosity, Roach reveals the improbable innovations and deeply human dilemmas of building a “new you.”
