Includes bibliographical references (pages 222-236) and index.

A leading expert on aging, Dr. Austad clears away the clutter of exaggeration and folklore to present a full picture of the new understanding of what aging is, why it happens, andmost provocatively - whether it can be controlled. Drawing on the latest developments in such fields as evolutionary biology, comparative zoology, anthropology, and basic medical research, Austad surveys and synthesizes an enormous amount of material. He explores the basic concept of longevity and the various ways we measure it, and analyzes the claims of greatly extended lifetimes - as well as our eagerness to believe them. In anecdotes that read like detective stories, Austad tracks down outrageous examples of age inflation from around the world and throughout history, from the celebrated seventeenth-century case of Thomas Parr, who was buried with great honor in Westminster Abbey for his false claim of having lived more than 150 years, to intriguing tales from Pakistan, the Caucasus, and Ecuador. As he describes the different responses of neurologists, cardiologists, and evolutionary and cell biologists to key questions on the causes of aging, Austad paints illuminating portraits of such renowned scientists as J.B.S. Haldane and Peter Medawar, both major contributors to our understanding of why we age. We learn how long-term exposure to certain hormones, especially estrogen and testosterone, affects longevity, and how new therapies made possible through advances in molecular biology offer hope for slowing aging and extending life.

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