Aging : the paradox of life : why we age / Robin Holliday.

Format:

• Book

Author/Creator:

• Holliday, R. (Robin), 1932-2014.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

• Aging.
• Age factors in disease.
• Aging--Prevention.
• Evolution.
• Longevity.

Medical Subjects:

• Aging.
• Evolution.
• Longevity.

Physical Description:

ix, 132 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Dordrecht : Springer, [2007]

Summary:

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.

Contents:

• Chapter 1 Longevity 1
• Chapter 2 Body Architecture 7
• Chapter 3 Maintenance of the Body 15
• Chapter 4 Multiple Causes 27
• Chapter 5 The Ancient Origins of Ageing 37
• Chapter 6 Mice and Men 45
• Chapter 7 How Many Genes? 55
• Chapter 8 The Evolution of Human Longevity 63
• Chapter 9 Myths of Life Extension 71
• Chapter 10 Doctors' Dilemma 77
• Chapter 11 The Modulation of Longevity 85
• Chapter 12 Ageing and the Angels 91
• Chapter 13 Longevity, Population Pressure and Warfare 97
• Chapter 14 Dialogue between Life and Death 103
• Chapter 15 The Road to Discovery 109
• Chapter 16 Resolution of the Paradox 115.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (page [123]) and index.

ISBN:

• 1402056400
• 9781402056406
• 1402056419
• 9781402056413

OCLC:

144595307