Borrowed Time: The Science of How and Why We Age

by Sue Armstrong

Overview

The question of how and why organisms age has teased scientists for centuries. There are myriad competing theories, from the idea that aging is a simple wear and tear process, like the rusting of a car, to the belief that aging and death are genetically programmed and controlled. In fact, there is no clearly defined limit to life, and no single, predictable program playing itself out: different things are happening within and between tissues, and each system or organ accumulates damage at its own pace, according to the kind of insults imposed on it by daily living.

Sometime before 2020, the number of people over sixty-five worldwide will, for the first time, be greater than the number of 0-4 year olds; and by 2050 there are likely to be 2.5 times as many older people in the world as toddlers. Sue Armstrong tells the story of society's quest to understand aging through the eyes of the scientists themselves, as well as through the "ordinary" people who exemplify the mysteries of ageing—from those who suffer from the premature aging condition, Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome, to people still running marathons in their 80s.

Borrowed Time will investigate such mind-boggling experiments as transfusing young blood into old rodents, and research into transplanting the first human head, among many others. It will explore where science is taking us and what issues are being raised from a psychological, philosophical and ethical perspective, through interviews with, and profiles of, key scientists in the field and the people who represent interesting and important aspects of aging.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472936073
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	01/24/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	931,628
File size:	395 KB

About the Author

Sue Armstrong is a science writer and broadcaster based in Edinburgh. She has worked for a variety of media organisations, including New Scientist, and since the 1980s has undertaken regular assignments for the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS, writing about women's health issues and the AIDS pandemic, among many other topics, and reporting from the frontline in countries as diverse as Haiti, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, Thailand, Namibia and Serbia. Sue has been involved, as presenter, writer and researcher, in several major documentaries for BBC Radio 4; programmes have focused on the biology of ageing, and of drug addiction, alcoholism, obesity, AIDS, CJD, cancer and stress. Her book p53: The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code, also published with Bloomsbury Sigma, was highly commended by the BMA Book Award.
Sue Armstrong is a science writer and broadcaster based in Edinburgh. She has worked for a variety of media organisations, including New Scientist, and since the 1980s has undertaken regular assignments for the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS, writing about women's health issues and the AIDS pandemic, among many other topics, and reporting from the frontline in countries as diverse as Haiti, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, Thailand, Namibia and Serbia. Sue has been involved, as presenter, writer and researcher, in several major documentaries for BBC Radio 4; programmes have focused on the biology of ageing, and of drug addiction, alcoholism, obesity, AIDS, CJD, cancer and stress. Her books p53: The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code and Borrowed Time: The Science of How and Why We Age are published by Bloomsbury Sigma.

Table of Contents

Prologue
Chapter 1: A question of definition
Chapter 2: Wear and tear?
Chapter 3: Telomeres: the ticking clock in our cells
Chapter 4: Down but not out: senescent cells
Chapter 5: Old before their time
Chapter 6: Ming the mollusc and other models
Chapter 7: It's in the genes
Chapter 8: Eat less; live longer
Chapter 9: Epigenetics and stem cells
Chapter 10: The ageing immune system
Chapter 11: The sting in the tail of HIV/AIDS
Chapter 12: The Big D – familial Alzheimer's disease
Chapter 13: Broken brains
Chapter 14: Turning back the clock

Editorial Reviews

12/03/2018
Science writer Armstrong (P53: The Gene That Cracked the Cancer Code) illuminatingly surveys research into aging’s biological mechanisms, beginning by revealing that, perhaps startlingly for laypeople, “a growing number of respected scientists... believe that ageing is a disease, and it can be treated.” Armstrong discusses sources of aging on the cellular level, including free radicals, the degradation of telomeres, and cell senescence, noting that none has yet provided the key to “solving” aging. Armstrong devotes much space to one of the most fearsome age-related disorder of all, dementia, discussing attempts to understand and combat Alzheimer’s and similar dysfunctions. Along the way, she profiles a number of fascinating people, leavening the somewhat dense science with human interest, such as leading Alzheimer’s researchers Caleb Finch and Eric Davidson and their time spent collecting traditional music from Appalachia for the Library of Congress. Armstrong also discusses promising possible dementia treatments, including rapamycin, induced pluripotent stem cells, and, possibly most exciting of all, a new application for the common diabetes drug metformin. Without suggesting death can actually be stopped, Armstrong’s work shows that quality of life before the inevitable might very well be significantly improved. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Invigorating.” —Booklist

“As a seventy-five-year-old man I felt oddly rejuvenated by this book. Try it yourself!” —Professor Steve Jones

“Sue Armstrong's book humanely tackles ageing in a way that is grounded, philosophical and makes the most complex science accessible to lay people like me. While not dangling false hopes of innovatory medical cures, it is full of hope about the strides being made in gerontology and pharmacology. And while I may be getting older, the vigour of this book is life-enhancing.” —Claire Fox, Director of the Academy of Ideas and panellist on BBC Radio 4's The Moral Maze

“Authoritative, comprehensible and fun to read. The book ageing research has been waiting for.” —Richard Faragher, Professor of Biogerontology at the University of Brighton

“Borrowed Time gives a wonderful overview of the fast-evolving science of longevity. I thoroughly recommend this book as a primer on what will become a key industry in the next two decades or so.” —Jim Mellon, Chairman, Juvenescence Ltd.

From the Publisher

Winter 2018

Science journalist Armstrong (P53: The Gene That Cracked the Cancer Code) presents the state of current research on aging, beginning with the universal hallmarks of getting older—problems that develop with genes and their expression, proteins, nutrient processing, mitochondria, stem cells, and inflammation—and shows how scientists are exploring each in hopes of discovering ways to slow or reverse the aging process. While there are many promising laboratory models for achieving this, most cannot yet be tested on humans. Prescription drugs already on the market for use in other conditions have also demonstrated promise in ameliorating some of these effects in some human patients. Armstrong devotes several chapters to the efforts underway to understand and treat Alzheimer's disease, one of the most feared aspects of aging. VERDICT Armstrong uses an informal style to explain complicated research in lay-friendly terms. Her book will be of interest to everyone who hopes to live a long, healthy life.—Rachel Owens, Daytona State Coll. Lib., FL

Library Journal