According to psychiatrist and neuroscientist Levine and social psychologist Heller, authors of “Attached”, one’s adult romantic partnerships have patterns similar to those one has as a child with one’s parents. Our need for attachment, they conclude, is hardwired into our brains but each of us expresses it differently. Focusing on three main attachment styles (secure, anxious, and avoidant), Heller will present research that explains the biological facts behind our relationship needs, teach us how to identify our own attachment styles, and warn of the emotional price of connecting with someone with drastically different intimacy needs. Chock-full of tips and case studies, this interactive discussion features solidly researched and intriguing approaches to the perennial trials of looking for love in all the right places and improving existing relationships.

Over the last three decades, the incidence of autism spectrum disorder, better known simply as autism, has risen dramatically in the U.S., from approximately 1 in 1,000 children to 1 in 110, arousing widespread concern among parents and psychiatrists alike. A few of the many potential possible culprits scientists have targeted are faulty genes and thimerosal, a mercury-laced preservative in vaccines. Former Newsweek senior journalist Mnookin focuses his masterful investigative skills primarily on the latter, highly controversial possibility, illustrating how the current, misguided anti-vaccine movement can be blamed almost equally on panic-driven parents, sensation-hungry media, and PR-challenged health authorities. In making his case, Mnookin covers a wide swathe of medical history, from polio outbreaks to the scare tactics of fringe British researcher Andrew Wakefield, who first forged the dubious vaccine-autism link. While Mnookin dismantles this link convincingly, his argument that multivaccine cocktails have been proven safe is ultimately less persuasive. Still, he’s an able, engaging wordsmith, and this cautionary tale about misinformed medical alarmism is thoroughly compelling.

Hepatitis C is a virus that causes cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. It’s the leading cause for liver transplants in the U.S., and an estimated 4 million Americans have the disease. Current treatments are difficult to tolerate and are often ineffective, but recent breakthroughs from Bay Area scientists may soon produce a cure for the disease that claims more than 10,000 American lives each year.