I admire all of Jonathan Weiner’s books, but this one especially because of its intellectual depth and clarity, its sense of personal involvement, and its tone and wit. The chapter on the evolution of aging is particularly brilliant! I couldn’t put the book down.” — Oliver Sacks
“Bizarre, fascinating, and fun.” — Rebecca Skloot, author of THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS
“A great trip.... Weiner writes engagingly [and] explores the fractured, fuzzy science and pseudoscience of immortality.” — Abraham Verghese, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
“I love this book. It is a mesmerizing blend of vivid (sometimes hilarious) reporting, wide-ranging scholarship, and the thoughtful probing of a great mystery. Like everything Jonathan Weiner does, it is far more than the sum of its parts.” — James Gleick
“Jonathan Weiner has done it again. In LONG FOR THIS WORLD, one of our finest science journalists explores the shadowy sword hanging over us all, weaving together the latest research with time-tested cultural wisdom. Will we ever live forever? And would we even want to?” — Jonah Lehrer, author of HOW WE DECIDE
“A brilliant and improbably funny look inside the mind-bending science of immortality.” — Village Voice
“Taxes may be inevitable, but death? Maybe not so much, suggests Jonathan Weiner, one of our finest science writers, in this searching and surprisingly witty look at the scientific odds against tomorrow.” — Timothy Ferris
“LONG FOR THIS WORLD is a rich and fascinating study of the longing for immortality and our lingering doubts about the possibility of surpassing our mortal limits.” — Simon Critchley, author of THE BOOK OF DEAD PHILOSOPHERS
“In LONG FOR THIS WORLD, Jonathan Weiner brings his immense talents—his masterful prose, his deep reporting, and his ability to see connections across the human experience—to one of science’s most intriguing frontiers: the science of aging.” — Carl Zimmer, author of THE TANGLED BANK: An Introduction to Evolution and PARASITE REX
“The promise of eternal youth is both tantalizingly close and far-fetched in this fascinating primer on longevity research . . . . An engrossing tour of cutting-edge research . . . . Weiner’s erudite, elegant exposition of the underlying science is stimulating yet sobering.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Jonathan Weiner has done it again. In LONG FOR THIS WORLD, one of our finest science journalists explores the shadowy sword hanging over us all, weaving together the latest research with time-tested cultural wisdom. Will we ever live forever? And would we even want to?
I love this book. It is a mesmerizing blend of vivid (sometimes hilarious) reporting, wide-ranging scholarship, and the thoughtful probing of a great mystery. Like everything Jonathan Weiner does, it is far more than the sum of its parts.
A brilliant and improbably funny look inside the mind-bending science of immortality.
I admire all of Jonathan Weiner’s books, but this one especially because of its intellectual depth and clarity, its sense of personal involvement, and its tone and wit. The chapter on the evolution of aging is particularly brilliant! I couldn’t put the book down.
Taxes may be inevitable, but death? Maybe not so much, suggests Jonathan Weiner, one of our finest science writers, in this searching and surprisingly witty look at the scientific odds against tomorrow.
In LONG FOR THIS WORLD, Jonathan Weiner brings his immense talents—his masterful prose, his deep reporting, and his ability to see connections across the human experience—to one of science’s most intriguing frontiers: the science of aging.
Bizarre, fascinating, and fun.
LONG FOR THIS WORLD is a rich and fascinating study of the longing for immortality and our lingering doubts about the possibility of surpassing our mortal limits.
Pulitzer Prize winner Weiner (Science Writing/Columbia Univ.; His Brother's Keeper: A Story from the Edge of Medicine, 2004, etc.) offers a gripping account of the science of aging. The young field of gerontology, writes the author, is growing rapidly now that modern equipment allows biologists to closely study the molecular machinery of human cells. Yet the complex problem of aging remains a major challenge for researchers. If gerontologists are able to figure it out, life spans could take a big jump. (Average life expectancy has risen from about 20 in the Stone Age to 80 in today's developed world.) In this wonderfully crafted book, Weiner explores the history of humankind's yearning for longevity and the theories of gerontologists now working to help people live longer and alleviate the suffering of old age. The main narrative thread follows 47-year-old Aubrey de Grey, a voluble, arrogant, bearded British scientist who believes aging is a disease that can be cured through proper cleaning and repair of the body. By day a computer programmer, de Grey has emerged as a well-known figure at the fringe of gerontology, arguing at conferences and in journals that if we take action against seven types of cellular decay (repairing worn-out body parts, preventing the growth of cancers, etc.), humans could live forever. Moreover, this "general and impresario in the War on Aging" believes the breakthrough can be achieved within 25 years. Most academic scientists dismiss de Grey's claims as wildly optimistic, but many recognize his insights and even co-author papers with him. Demystifying the workings of the mitochondria that power our cells, the author brings to life the various theories of aging advanced by researchers such as gerontologist Ana Maria Cuervo, who agrees with de Grey that "the key to the problem of aging may well lie in a kind of sophisticated detoxification of our cells." Weiner's lucid, brightly paced narrative brims with snapshots of scientists, stories of experiments and informed speculations on what the conquest of aging would mean for the human experience. Immensely readable and informative. Events in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
