Steven N. Austad

Investigates the history, theories, and personalities behind the quest to understand and beat aging; discusses implications of the latest research on aging; and explains how exposure to hormones affects aging

What Science Is Discovering about the Body's Journey Through Life

Why We Age

J. Veronika Kiklevich

The hilarious, often poignant reflections of an experienced veterinarian include fascinating stories interspersed with practical advice about pet and health care.

And Other Stories of Pets, Their People, and the Vets who See it All

Real People Don't Own Monkeys

Stories of long-lived animal species—from thousand-year-old tubeworms to 400-year-old sharks—and what they might teach us about human health and longevity. Opossums in the wild don’t make it to the age of three; our pet cats can live for a decade and a half; cicadas live for seventeen years (spending most of them underground). Whales, however, can live for two centuries and tubeworms for several millennia. Meanwhile, human life expectancy tops out around the mid-eighties, with some outliers living past 100 or even 110. Is there anything humans can learn from the exceptional longevity of some animals in the wild? In Methusaleh’s Zoo, Steven Austad tells the stories of some extraordinary animals, considering why, for example, animal species that fly live longer than earthbound species and why animals found in the ocean live longest of all. Austad—the leading authority on longevity in animals—argues that the best way we will learn from these long-lived animals is by studying them in the wild. Accordingly, he proceeds habitat by habitat, examining animals that spend most of their lives in the air, comparing insects, birds, and bats; animals that live on, and under, the ground—from mole rats to elephants; and animals that live in the sea, including quahogs, carp, and dolphins. Humans have dramatically increased their lifespan with only a limited increase in healthspan; we’re more and more prone to diseases as we grow older. By contrast, these species have successfully avoided both environmental hazards and the depredations of aging. Can we be more like them?

What Nature Can Teach Us about Living Longer, Healthier Lives

Methuselah's Zoo

What simple practice could reduce fatal medical errors? Do juries make sense if the goal of criminal justice is to discover the truth? What are the alternatives? What kind of health studies should be taken seriously and what kinds should not? In this compendium of short, entertaining essays, Austad answers these very practical questions and others. Do we really become more foolish with age? Is there a limit to how long humans can live? He answers big questions you may not have known you had. What makes up the 95 percent of our universe that we can’t see? Why do we think “natural” means good for us? He also provides tips on everyday living: how to survive a shark attack, how painful is a fire ant sting, and why opossums make poor pets. These seventy-seven essays cover topics on the workings of science, the history of life, the mysteries of the universe, and the puzzles of everyday life with wit, insight, and humor. Your questions are answered, and more intriguing questions raised. This is a book that will keep you awake at night . . . lost in thought.

Thoughts on Criminal Justice, Health, Holidays, Nature, and the Universe

To Err Is Human, To Admit It Is Not and Other Essays

Edward J. Masoro

Handbook of the Biology of Aging, Seventh Edition, reviews and synthesizes recent findings and discoveries in the field. This volume is part of The Handbooks of Aging series, which also includes The Handbook of the Psychology of Aging and The Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences. The book is organized into two parts. Part 1 covers basic aging processes. It covers concepts relevant to clinical research, such as muscle, adipose tissue, and stem cells. It discusses research on how dietary restriction can slow down the aging process and extend life in a wide range of species. Part 2 deals with the medical physiology of aging. It contains several chapters on the aging of the human brain. These chapters deal not only with diseases but also with normal aging changes to cerebral vasculature and myelination as well as the clinical implications of those changes. Additional chapters cover how aging affects central features of human health such as insulin secretion, pulmonary and cardiac function, and the ability to maintain body weight and body temperature. The volume is primarily directed at basic researchers who wish to keep abreast of new research outside their own subdiscipline. It will also be useful to medical, behavioral, and social gerontologists who want to learn about the discoveries of basic scientists and clinicians. Contains basic aging processes as determined by animal research as well as medical physiology of aging as known in humans Covers hot areas of research, like stem cells, integrated with longstanding areas of interest in aging like telomeres, mitochondrial function, etc. Edited by one of the fathers of gerontology (Masoro) and contributors represent top scholars in gerintology

Handbook of the Biology of Aging

Why has the life span of the average American increased from 48 to 75 years in this century alone? . . . If the body is a machine that simply wears out, why do some cells seem immortal? . . . Is there an aging gene? And can we control it? . . . Can antioxidants and hormone therapy actually slow the aging process and extend life? Steven Austad s compelling book investigates the history, the theories, and the personalities behind the quest to understand the nature of aging. Here is hard evidence from the front lines of research that science is finally closing in on the fundamental processes of human biology and life. "Austad s book can be read with pleasure and profit by any intelligent person with a smattering of biological knowledge." Science "In this clear, engrossing overview, Austad takes the sting out of a subject that will ultimately capture us all." Publishers Weekly "Why We Age is remarkably rigorous in its analysis and thorough scope. . . . A comprehensive examination of its topic." Science Editors, Amazon.com "The problem with long life is that one keeps getting older; here s an able and clearly written summary of the latest theories on why we age and what might be done to ameliorate the process." Kirkus Reviews

Steven N. Austad

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