DAVID BAINBRIDGE is the University Clinical Veterinary Anatomist at Cambridge University and a Fellow of St Catharine’s College. He trained as a veterinary surgeon at Cambridge during which time he also studied for a degree in zoology (palaeontology and evolutionary and developmental biology). After qualifying as a vet, he spent one year in full-time clinical practice before studying for a PhD in reproductive biology and embryology at the Institute of Zoology at Regent's Park Zoo in London. Between that and his current position, he studied the immunology of human and animal pregnancy at the Obstetrics Department at Oxford University, and the Royal Veterinary College. He is still active in part-time clinical work. He is the author of A VISITOR WITHIN: The Science of Pregnancy (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2000), THE X IN SEX: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives (Harvard University Press, 2003) and BEYOND THE ZONULES OF ZIN: A Tour Guide to Your Simple Brain (Harvard University Press, in the press). He has made several appearances on radio and television and written for New Scientist and La Recherche. He is thirty-eight and lives in Suffolk with his wife and three children.

Links
David Bainbridge's website

TEENAGERS
A Natural History

Praise for David Bainbridge's work

There are many literary stars in the firmament of writers on evolution, and to a man they write with dash and persuasive logic. David Bainbridge is one such – Miriam Stoppard, TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

Lively, witty... a fine demonstration of science made accessible – KIRKUS REVIEWS

The success of Bainbridge’s book stems from his clear and interesting descriptions of complex concepts and from his deft enhancement of well-known material with rich scientific nuggets. To the author’s credit, he delivers his messages with scientific acumen and good humor... Some of the questions that Bainbridge answers are rarely addressed sufficiently in other accounts – Nancy Segal, SCIENCE

An entirely original book about teenagers: the low down on what science tells us about the period of adolescence when all the different strands of their life get tangled together in a way that will never happen again.

The efforts of biologists and psychologists in the past few decades have revolutionised our understanding of every part of the growing-up process. We now know why sexuality switches on at puberty – and why it happens in younger people now than in the past. We know why teenagers are impulsive and over-emotional. We know how addictive drugs latch on to our brain processes. We know why so many mental illnesses begin in adolescence. We know how the children of teenage mothers differ from those of older women. And we have a pretty good idea what effect sexual activity has on the young body and mind. Yet almost all we are ever told about teenagers is either wrong or out of date.

In TEENAGERS, David Bainbridge redresses the balance. By explaining the underlying science in a sensible, clear way, he aims to reach teenagers and parents directly so they are all better equipped to deal with this fascinating period of development.

People often talk about the teenage years as if they are no more than a painful and uncertain transition between blissful childhood and mature adulthood. TEENAGERS provides a more upbeat view. Being a teenager should be seen as a time when you can have the best of both worlds: 'the charming wonder of a child and the reassuring independence of an adult.’

Publisher: Portobello (UK)
Pub date: 1 February 2010
Length: 304 pages

World rights: Portobello

For all international rights contact Laura Barber at Portobello Books