Immortality:: How Science Is Extending Your Life Span--and Changing The World - Hardcover

Bova, Ben

3.33

61 ratings by Goodreads

9780380975181: Immortality:: How Science Is Extending Your Life Span--and Changing The World

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0380975181 ISBN 13: 9780380975181

Publisher: William Morrow, 1998

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The first immortals are already living among us. You might be one of them.

At first glance, that arresting statement sounds as if it might come from a science fiction story. But it is an astonishing, exciting fact--as explained clearly and cogently by Dr. Ben Bova. In his distinguished career, Dr. Bova has predicted the discovery of life on Mars, the space race of the 1960s, solar-powered satellites, the discovery of organic chemicals in interstellar space, virtual reality, the Strategic Defense Initiative, the advent of international peacekeeping forces, the discovery of ice on the Moon, and electronic book publishing Now he explores the future effects of science and technology on the human life span--and discovers that one day, death will no longer be the inevitable end of life.

Dr. Bova guides readers through worldwide research into the biochemical processes that cause aging and death, and shows what scientists are discovering about stopping, perhaps even reversing these processes According to Dr. Bova, if you have a normal life expectancy today, the medical and biological advances that will be achieved over the next ten to twenty years will probably allow you to live long past one hundred The longer you live, the more knowledge scientists will glean, and the further they will be able to extend your life span.

With crystal-clear, utterly accessible prose Dr. Bova explains how science could maintain the youth and vigor of a fifty-year-old indefinitely, perhaps even reversing the effects of aging He also offers provocative thoughts on the tumultuous societal consequences of such biomedical breakthroughs, as greatly extended life spans and virtual immortality transform institutions like Medicare, Social Security, pension plans, life insurance, even the very foundations of work and retirement Here is a compelling, startling, understandable, and vitally important study of the greatest challenge--and the most tantalizing opportunity--ever faced by

The first immortals are already living among us. You might be one of them.

Dr. Bova guides readers through worldwide research into the biochemical processes that cause aging and death, and shows what scientists are discovering about stopping, perhaps even reversing these processes According to Dr. Bova, if you have a normal life expectancy today, the medical and biological advances that will be achieved over the next ten to twenty years will probably allow you to live long past one hundred The longer you live, the more knowledge scientists will glean, and the further they will be able to extend your life span.

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Review:

Do you want to live to be 200? How about 500? Maybe forever? Ben Bova, famed science fiction author and futurist, predicts that within the lifetimes of many people alive in 1998, molecular biology and genetics will reveal the secrets of cellular immortality, freeing people of the "threescore years and ten" most of us are allotted. Further, Bova asserts in Immortality, we will be living those long lives in healthy, youngish bodies, subject only to death by accident. To back up this claim, Bova offers a nice, clear overview of how genetics has come to the brink of science fiction, made accessible to readers unfamiliar with the terminology through the use of explanatory sidebars and basic definitions. If you find yourself doubting this prediction, two things might make you reassess your opinion: (1) Ben Bova was right when he foretold the advent of the Internet, solar-powered satellites, electronic books, and many other wonders of the 20th century, and (2) in an extraordinary 50-year time line, he shows how fast and furious technological developments have come--including things that would have been deemed impossible mere months before they happened. After showing how science is laying the groundwork for achieving incredible human longevity, Immortality examines the ways society, government, the environment, and personal responsibility might change in the face of it. No pessimist or technophobe, Bova assures us that immortal people will (by necessity) become more farsighted and thoughtful about their lives and the lives of others. The search for earthly immortality has occupied humans throughout history ... how long do you want to live? --Therese Littleton

From the Back Cover:

That arresting statement sounds as if it might come from a science fiction story. But it is astonishing, exciting fact -- as explained by Dr. Ben Bova. In his distinguished career, Dr. Bova has predicted many scientific developments. Now he explores the future effects of science and technology on the human life span and discovers that one day, death will no longer be the inevitable end of life.

Dr. Bova guides readers through worldwide research into the biochemical processes that cause aging and death, and shows what scientists are discovering about stopping, perhaps even reversing them. With crystal-clear prose, Dr. Bova explains how science could maintain the youth and vigor of a fifty-year-old indefinitely and the consequences for marriage and family ties. He also offers provocative thoughts on the tumultuous societal consequences of such biomedical breakthroughs, as greatly extended life spans and virtual immortality transform institutions like Medicare, Social Security, pension plans, life insurance, even the very foundations of work and retirement. Here is a compelling, startling, understandable, and vitally important study of humankind's greatest challenge -- and most tantalizing opportunity.

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