by Sue Armstrong (Author)
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.
