In this text, Thomas Kirkwood examines closely why we age, how human ageing compares to that of other animal species, what the menopause is for, why our memories fail as we get older and whether cancer is inevitable. Looking at the subject from a variety of perspectives, the book also projects us hundreds of years into a future where most of the symptoms of ageing have been conquered - and shows us what society could be like.

By the year 2050 one in five of the world's population will be 65 or older, a fact which presages profound medical, biological, philosophical, and political changes in the coming century. In Time of Our Lives, Tom Kirkwood draws on more than twenty years of research to make sense of the evolution of aging, to explain how aging occurs, and to answer fundamental questions like why women live longer than men. He shows that we age because our genes, evolving at a time when life was "nasty, brutish, and short," placed little priority on the long-term maintenance of our bodies. With such knowledge, along with new insights from genome research, we can devise ways to target the root causes of aging and of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's and osteoporosis. He even considers the possibility that human beings will someday have greatly extended life spans or even be free from senescence altogether. Beautifully written by one of the world's pioneering researchers into the science of aging, Time of Our Lives is a clear, original and, above all, inspiring investigation of a process all of us experience but few of us understand.

Tom Kirkwood, Britain's only Professor of Biological Gerontology, explores the fascinating science of ageing. His ground-breaking new book examines closely the question of why we age at all; how human ageing compares to that of other animal species; why women live longer than men; what the menopause is for; why our memories fail as we get older; whether cancer is inevitable in extreme old age; and how ageing affects our bodies and our behaviour. Looking at the subject from a variety of perspectives - evolutionary, social, psychological and physiological - and written with the story-telling skills of a journalist and the authority of a world class scientist, this book provides a fully up-to-date view of this crucial subject, as well as insights that delight on almost every page. It concludes with a superb short story that projects us hundreds of years into the future when most of the symptoms of ageing have been conquered to show us what society could be like. Far from being depressing, this is an accessible, inspirational, life-affirming book.

Anyone who has watched a wrinkle slowly gouge their face like a strip mine, or has been disturbed by a loss of memory, has uncomfortably confronted the human ageing process. The inexorable march of time on our bodies begs an important question: why do we have to grow old? Written in everyday language, The Clock of Ages takes us on a tour of the ageing human body - all from a research scientist's point of view. From the deliberate creation of organisms that live three times their natural span to the isolation of human genes that may allow us to do the same, The Clock of Ages also examines the latest discoveries in geriatric genetics. Sprinkled throughout the pages are descriptions of the aging of many historical figures, such as Florence Nightingale, Jane Austen, Bonaparte and Casanova. These stories underscore the common bond that unites us all: they aged, even as we do. The Clock of Ages tells you why.

Written by Caleb Finch, one of the leading scientists of our time, The Biology of Human Longevity: Inflammation, Nutrition, and Aging in the Evolution of Lifespans synthesizes several decades of top research on the topic of human aging and longevity particularly on the recent theories of inflammation and its effects on human health. The book expands a number of existing major theories, including the Barker theory of fetal origins of adult disease to consider the role of inflammation and Harmon's free radical theory of aging to include inflammatory damage. Future increases in lifespan are challenged by the obesity epidemic and spreading global infections which may reverse the gains made in lowering inflammatory exposure. This timely and topical book will be of interest to anyone studying aging from any scientific angle. Author Caleb Finch is a highly influential and respected scientist, ranked in the top half of the 1% most cited scientists Provides a novel synthesis of existing ideas about the biology of longevity and aging Incorporates important research findings from several disciplines, including Gerontology, Genomics, Neuroscience, Immunology, Nutrition

For readers interested in longevity, the authors explain the real science of aging and show which treatments offer real hope and which are a waste of money and time.