| Edition |
1st ed. |
| Description |
x, 310 pages ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-297) and index. |
| Summary |
"In recent years, the dream of eternal youth has started to look like more than just a dream. In the twentieth century alone, life expectancy increased by more than thirty years--almost as much time as humans have gained in the whole span of human existence. Today a motley array of scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs believe that another, bigger leap is at hand--that human immortality is not only possible, but attainable in our own time. Is there genius or folly in the dreams of these charismatic but eccentric thinkers? In Long for This World, Jonathan Weiner, a natural storyteller and an intrepid reporter with a gift for making cutting-edge science understandable, takes the reader on a whirlwind intellectual quest to find out. From Berkeley to the Bronx, from Cambridge University to Dante's tomb in Ravenna, Weiner meets the leading intellectuals in the field and delves into the mind-blowing science behind the latest research. He traces the centuries-old, fascinating history of the quest for longevity in art, science, and literature, from Gilgamesh to Shakespeare, Doctor Faustus to 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.' And he tells the dramatic story of how aging could be conquered once and for all, focusing on the ideas of those who believe aging is a curable disease. Chief among them is the extraordinary Aubrey de Grey, a garrulous Englishman who bears more than a passing resemblance to Methuselah (at 969 years, the oldest man in the Bible) and who is perhaps immortality's most radical and engaging true believer"--From publisher description. |
| Contents |
The phoenix. Immortal longings ; The problem of mortality ; Life and death of a cell ; Into the nest of the phoenix -- The hydra. The evolution of aging ; The garbage catastrophe ; The seven deadly things ; The Methuselah wars ; The weakest link -- The good life. Long for this work ; The trouble with immortality ; The everlasting yes and no. |
| Subject |
Life expectancy.
|
|
Life expectancy. |
|
Immortalism.
|
|
Immortalism. |
|
Longevity.
|
|
Longevity. |
|
Life spans (Biology)
|
|
Life spans (Biology) |
|
Immortality (Philosophy)
|
|
Immortality (Philosophy) |
|
Science -- Miscellanea.
|
|
Science -- Miscellanea. |
| Genre/Form |
Trivia and miscellanea.
|
|
Trivia and miscellanea.
|
| ISBN |
9780060765361 hardback |
|
0060765364 hardback |
|
