A Means to an End
The biological basis of aging and death
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:25th Apr '02
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This book covers ageing from a fundamental cell biological perspective. The evolution and developmental genetics of senescence are explained clearly. All the various theories of ageing -- the Hayflick limit and telomeric shortening as a possible biological clock, the impacts of somatic mutations, oxidative stress, accumulation of waste materials in cells with age -- are explained and critically assessed. The author presents vivid case accounts about disorders that open windows on to the ageing process. The impacts of ageing on the brain and nervous system are given special attention, as are the effects of caloric restriction on maximum lifespan.
"Clark effortlessly takes readers from the simple to the complex, from a discussion of single-celled organisms to human beings.... He also does a nice job of exploring the causes of Alzheimer's disease, various forms of cancer and an array of genetic disorders that afflict the young by making them age prematurely.... Neatly informative."--Publishers Weekly
"Why in spite of healthy, well-fed, well-watered lives do people age and die? The well-informed physician-researcher, William R. Clark, excitedly reveals new studies of progeric and normal mammals as he tracks the inevitable corollary to human life: the inexorable rhythmic march to human death."--Lynn Margulis, Distinguished University Professor, Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and co-author of What is Life" and What is Sex"
"Fascinating and informative.... One of the book's most engaging elements is Clark's ability to show how scientists think about problems and approaches in the field."--Booklist
ISBN: 9780195153750
Dimensions: 152mm x 231mm x 15mm
Weight: 372g
256 pages