Everything that lives will die. That's the fundamental fact of life. But not everyone dies at the same age: people vary wildly in their patterns of aging and their life spans--and that variation is nothing compared to what's found in other animal and plant species. A giant fungus found in Michigan has been alive since the Ice Age, while a dragonfly lives but four months, a mayfly half an hour. What accounts for these variations--and what can we learn from them that might help us understand, or better manage, our own aging? ...
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Everything that lives will die. That's the fundamental fact of life. But not everyone dies at the same age: people vary wildly in their patterns of aging and their life spans--and that variation is nothing compared to what's found in other animal and plant species. A giant fungus found in Michigan has been alive since the Ice Age, while a dragonfly lives but four months, a mayfly half an hour. What accounts for these variations--and what can we learn from them that might help us understand, or better manage, our own aging? With The Long and the Short of It , biologist and writer Jonathan Silvertown offers readers a witty and fascinating tour through the scientific study of longevity and aging. Dividing his daunting subject by theme--death, life span, aging, heredity, evolution, and more--Silvertown draws on the latest scientific developments to paint a picture of what we know about how life span, senescence, and death vary within and across species. At every turn, he addresses fascinating questions that have far-reaching implications: What causes aging, and what determines the length of an individual life? What changes have caused the average human life span to increase so dramatically--fifteen minutes per hour--in the past two centuries? If evolution favors those who leave the most descendants, why haven't we evolved to be immortal? The answers to these puzzles and more emerge from close examination of the whole natural history of life span and aging, from fruit flies, nematodes, redwoods, and much more. The Long and the Short of It pairs a perpetually fascinating topic with a wholly engaging writer, and the result is a supremely accessible book that will reward curious readers of all ages.
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Add this copy of The Long and the Short of It Format: Hardcover to cart. $28.37, new condition, Sold by indoo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Avenel, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by University of Chicago Press.
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New. Everything that lives will die. That's the fundamental fact of life. But not everyone dies at the same age. A giant fungus found in Michigan has been alive since the Ice Age, while a dragonfly lives but four months. What accounts for these variations? This book takes you on a tour through the scientific study of longevity and aging. Num Pages: 192 pages, 2 halftones, 1 table. BIC Classification: PDZ; PSA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 224 x 141 x 17. Weight in Grams: 376. 2013. Hardcover.....We ship daily from our Bookshop.
Add this copy of The Long and the Short of It: The Science of Life Span to cart. $43.09, new condition, Sold by Booksplease rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southport, MERSEYSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2013 by University of Chicago Press.
Add this copy of The Long and the Short of It: the Science of Life Span to cart. $49.57, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2013 by University of Chicago Press.
