Teenagers (eBook)

David Bainbridge is the Clinical Veterinary Anatomist at Cambridge University (UK). He trained as a veterinary surgeon and has carried out research at the Institute of Zoology at Regent's Park, the Royal Veterinary College, and Cornell, Sydney and Oxford Universities. His previous popular science books include Making Babies: The Science of Pregnancy, The X in Sex: How the X Chromosone Controls Our Lives, and Beyond the Zonules of Zinn: A Fantastic Journey Through Your Brain (all published by Harvard University Press). He lives in Suffolk, UK with his wife and their three children, who are edging inexorably towards adolescence.

Introduction: A silver lining 1. Aches and Gripes and Lumps and Bumps:Why growing up is hard to doWhere did the teenagers come from? What flips our sexy switch? Why all the bodily unpleasantness? Why do teenage girls and boys look different? Why are girls more mature? 2. Thinking, Risk and Rock 'n'Roll: Why teenage brains are differentWhy are teenagers brainier than everyone else? Are teenagers driven by their hormones? Why are teenagers' brains different? Why all the sleep, risk and anger? Why do teenagers start to think in new ways? 3. Out of the Ordinary: The truth about alcohol, nicotine and other diversionsWhere did all the drugs come from? Why do drugs affect teenagers differently? So is teenage drug use really a bad thing? 4. Love and Loss: Why teenage relationships can be the best and worst things in the worldWhy do teenagers get so sad? Why do teenagers get so confused? Why do teenagers get so worried? And what is love? 5. Teenage Kicks: The ifs, whens and whys of sexWhy do teenagers have sex? When are teenagers meant to have sex? Why do teenagers get sexually transmitted diseases? Why is teenage pregnancy different? Why are teenagers meant to have sex? Epilogue: The long game