Aging: The Paradox Of Life : the biological reasons for aging are now well understood

For centuries people have been puzzled by the inevitability of human aging. For most of the second half of the twentieth century aging remained a mystery, or an unsolved biological problem. At the end of the 20th century a remarkable scientific discovery emerged. It was not a single discovery in the usual sense, because it was based on a series of important interconnected insights over quite a long period of time. These insights made it possible for the very first time to understand the biological reasons for aging in animals and man. It can already be said, however, that the many observations and insights that explain aging will not be accepted as established knowledge for a long time. The field is still full of scientists, and non-scientists, who are just happy to go on speculating about the "mystery" of aging. The aim of this book is to dispel ignorance by explaining in non-technical language what are the reasons for aging and the myth of excessive prolongation of life. Doody Review Services Reviewer: David O. Staats, MD(University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center) Description: This is a single-authored discussion of aging, its causes, mechanisms, and implications, written for a lay public. Purpose: Its purpose is to explain the mechanisms of aging and to dispel exaggerated claims of anti-aging medicine. These are worthy objectives and the book meets them all in style. Audience: The book is written for a lay audience. The author is one of the world's experts in aging and achieves a masterful synthesis in this book. Features: This is a lay distillation of the author's Understanding Ageing (Cambridge University Press, 1995), with added thoughtful editorial comments. The broad extensive knowledge of this author is plainly evident in this pleasurable compact book. Explanations of why and how we age, the nature of aging in the biological kingdom, and the false hopes of anti-aging medicine are woven into a coherent, easily digestible form. There is a very well annotated list of references and a helpful glossary. The elegant British style of biological writing evident here makes this book a particular pleasure to read. Assessment: For those working in the field of aging without an extensive biomedical background, this is a really excellent read. Front Matter....Pages I-XIII Longevity....Pages 1-6 Body Architecture....Pages 7-14 Maintenance of the Body....Pages 15-26 Multiple Causes....Pages 27-36 The Ancient Origins of Ageing....Pages 37-43 Mice and Men....Pages 45-53 How Many Genes?....Pages 55-62 The Evolution of Human Longevity....Pages 63-69 Myths of Life Extension....Pages 71-76 Doctors’ Dilemma....Pages 77-84 The Modulation of Longevity....Pages 85-90 Ageing and the Angels....Pages 91-95 Longevity, Population Pressure and Warfare....Pages 97-101 Dialogue between Life and Death....Pages 103-108 The Road to Discovery....Pages 109-113 Resolution of the Paradox....Pages 115-121 Back Matter....Pages 123-132 For centuries people have puzzled over the inevitability of human aging. At the end of the 20th century a remarkable scientific discovery emerged, based on a series of important interconnected insights over quite a long period of time. The aim of this book is to dispel ignorance by explaining in non-technical language what are the reasons for aging and the myth of excessive prolongation of life. For centuries people have been puzzled by the inevitability of human ageing. For most of the second half of the twentieth century ageing remained a mystery, or an unsolved biological problem. This book aims to dispel ignorance by explaining what are the reasons of ageing and the myth of excessive prolongation of life in non-technical language