A startling chronicle by a brilliant young scientist takes us onto the frontiers of the science of aging, and reveals how close we are to an astonishing extension of our life spans and a vastly improved quality of life in our later years.
Aging--not cancer, not heart disease--is the world's leading cause of death and suffering. We accept as inevitable that as we advance in years our bodies and minds begin to deteriorate and we are more and more likely to be felled by dementia or disease. But we never really ask--is aging necessary? Biologists, on the other hand, have been investigating that question for years, wondering if the decline of our bodies is truly unavoidable. After all, there are already tortoises and salamanders whose risk of dying is the same from birth to death. With the help of science, could humans find a way to become old without getting elderly, a phenomenon otherwise known as "biological immortality"?
In Ageless, Andrew Steele, research fellow at Britain's new and largest biomedical laboratory, the Francis Crick Institute, shows us that the answer lies at the cellular level. He takes us on a journey through the laboratories where scientists are studying every aspect of the cell--DNA, mitochondria, stem cells, our immune systems, even age genes that can lead to a tenfold increase in life span (in worms, anyway)--all in an effort to forestall or reverse the body's (currently!) inevitable decline. With bell-clear writing and intellectual passion, Steele shines a spotlight on a revolution already under way and offers reality-based hope.
