But if we gain not only memory but identity when we are introduced to language, then the process of individuation in childhood can be seen as the first step towards death. Theroux gently interrogates ordinariness as well as exceptionalism, the fact that our strongest emotions are the most conventional (Nicholas becomes sure of only two things: "I love my children and I'm going to die"). Johnson's exaltation of reason was built on a fear of madness; the personalities of Nicholas and the other characters are all too malleable, warped by drugs or trauma or sudden mania. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ Nicholas Slopen has been dead for months. So when a man claiming to be Nicholas turns up to visit an old girlfriend, deception seems the only possible motive.

Read about the Faber story, find out about our unique partnerships, and learn more about our publishing heritage, awards and present-day activity. Faber & Faber was founded nearly a century ago, in 1929. Read about our long publishing history in a decade-by-decade account.See Faber authors in conversation and hear readings from their work at Faber Members events, literary festivals and at book shops across the UK.

Faber Members have access to live and online events, special editions and book promotions, and articles and quizzes through our weekly e-newsletter. At any given time, there are over 700 different species of bacteria living in your mouth, which scientists call "the human oral microbiome." The makeup of a baby's oral microbiome at birth is largely determined by the mother's oral health, as any oral conditions that she had (including gum disease) may create pathogens in the baby's mouth. However, the majority of this bacteria is good and helpful for oral health. Your skin makes up 15% of your total body weight. For an adult of average weight, that accounts for about 20 of the pounds you see on the scale. If you weigh over 195 pounds, your skin weighs closer to 30 pounds.For the conceit of the novel is that we are made of words – our own, however stale and self-limiting ("I sometimes feel that you could reconstruct an entire marriage in 10 sentences"), and others', especially the legacy of literature. There are snippets of Shakespeare, Milton, Auden and many more sewn into the fabric of the book, with Theroux's found portrait of Johnson only the most animated literary presence. A swipe at the Shakespeare authorship debate forms a counterpoint to the puzzle of Nicholas's identity: neatly, the book becomes an illustration of its own premise. From the secure unit of a notorious psychiatric hospital, he begins to tell his tale: an account of attempted forgery that draws the reader towards an extraordinary truth – a metaphysical conspiracy that lies on the other side of madness and death. There's a good reason why you may smell a little stinkier after a hot day. Your sweat glands cool your skin down by releasing sweat. However, it's not the sweat that gives you B.O. (body odor) — it's the bacteria breaking down proteins and fatty acids in your sweat. Sweat itself is odorless. That's why a good shower with lots of soap is your best protection against body odor, rather than expensive perfumes and colognes that only mask the bacterial smell. But wait — isn't the tongue the strongest muscle in the body? That's sort of true, except that your tongue is actually made of eight intertwined muscles. These muscles form a matrix called a muscular hydrostat, making the tongue's flexible functions similar to the trunk of an elephant or the tentacles of an octopus.

Become a Faber Member for free and receive curated book recommendations, special competitions and exclusive discounts.

Patient dies after bungling surgeons leave SCISSORS inside his stomach

That grumbly, growly feeling you get when you're hungry isn't just your imagination. But why does it growl when you've just eaten? It's usually the result of hot air moving through the digestive system. Air gets into your digestive system through the normal swallowing process, especially if you're drinking while breathing hard (such as in a workout) or if you're talking while eating. The growling could also come from your stomach cleaning up bits of food from your last meal. When you come upon an old friend after decades apart, what is it that you recognise in them: their ageing face, a shared history, the flash of their eyes, their soul? Susanna, who opens Marcel Theroux's ingenious new novel, is both touched and unnerved when her university boyfriend, Nicholas Slopen, turns up on her doorstep 20 years later. "He didn't look the same – which of us did?" But she's confident it's him – except that Nicholas Slopen is already dead. The only clue this inexplicable stranger leaves behind him is a flash drive containing a document as unbelievable as he is …

Snakes and lizards shed their skin in a creepy, dramatic way. We shed our skin too, and while it's not as dramatic as our reptile friends, it's just as creepy! By the end of the day, you will have lost (and replaced) 50 million skin cells. Since you've started this article, you've lost about 40,000 of them. In 30 days, your outer layer of skin will have completely replaced itself.

Oram-Holt Syndrome

Every night when you go to sleep, cells in your brain called microglial cells eat old cells that you don't need anymore. Brain cells called astrocytes clear out old and unnecessary synapses to refresh your neural wiring. But if you're sleep-deprived, your brain goes overboard with the clearing, and the microglial cells start to eat the astrocytes. A few nights of poor sleep won't kill you, but increased microglial activity over a lifetime has been linked to Alzheimer's disease. So get some sleep! The truth of this situation", Nicholas is warned, "is much stranger and more complex than you can imagine" – or should reveal in a book review. Suffice it to say that Theroux harnesses the history of Russian utopianism as well as the life of Dr Johnson to the juggernaut of his plot, moving from scruffy south London to gleaming modern Moscow, mental hospital to Kazakhstan compound. Golem myths and psychoanalytic theories about doubles get rewarding new twists. The unfolding of the narrative is genuinely eerie, but the richness of allusion and elegance of design make Strange Bodies as much an inquiry into language and identity as a high-concept literary thriller.