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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.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Preface
• Introduction
• Part I Who Ages
• Introduction
• 1 A slippery overarching definition
• 2 Humanizing ageing and death
• 3 Why age at all
• Part II How Do We Age
• Introduction
• 4 How the skin and hair age
• 5 The ageing of bones, muscles and joints
• 6 The ageing of the brain
• 7 How the heart ages
• 8 The ageing of the lungs
• 9 What happens to the digestion
• 10 How the senses age
• 11 The ageing of the reproductive system
• Part III Why Do We Age
• Introduction
• 12 A tale of two theories
• 13 Error accumulation
• 14 Programmed death
• 15 Winding back the clock
• Conclusions
• Further reading
• Index

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

Library Journal Review

This is simply a fantastic book. Research scientist Medina (bioengineering, Univ. of Washington Sch. of Medicine) discusses what death is, what it is not, and the biological process of how we get there. He is able to take general readers through very complex and involved biological concepts and leave them asking for more. Medina explains the normal operation of separate body systems, such as the skin or the brain, and how the aging process affects them. He includes ample illustrations to summarize difficult concepts. Interesting asides about noted historical figures are strewn throughout the text to help illustrate the topic at hand. For instance, Medina uses a story about Rudolph Valentino's demise to talk about aging and death. (The movie star never aged because he died young.) This is the best biology book written for the lay public to appear in many years. Recommended for all libraries.‘Eric D. Albright, Galter Health Sciences Lib., Northwestern Univ., Chicago (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Medina's preface contains a very poignant and very personal description of the aging and death of his mother, bringing to mind the reason that such a book will interest anyone: regardless of how we may try to fight it, we are all mortal, and we will age and die. He explores the processes involved in this inevitable journey in a style and at a level that can be understood by the general reader but will benefit the professional as well. The book is organized in three general sections: who ages; how we age; and why we age. Each section contains a brief introduction, followed by three to six chapters. The first section describes the aging (and nonaging, in some cases) of biological organisms, including humans; the second explores age-related changes that occur in various organ systems; and the last section discusses aging at the cellular level. To the "serious" biologist, this may appear to be a backward presentation, but for the general reader it undoubtedly works better to go from familiar to less familiar. Additionally, many chapters contain explanations of the importance of preceding information. The book is well illustrated with a number of halftone diagrams with excellent descriptive captions. The text contains innumerable references to persons of public note, ranging from Casanova to Billy the Kid to Thomas Edison, describing how the process of aging was perceived by each and how it influenced the course of their lives. A worthwhile acquisition. All levels. L. A. Meserve Bowling Green State University