Jonathan Silvertown is professor of ecology at the Open University, Milton Keynes, and the author or editor of several books. In this scholarly work, he takes us on a jaunty tour of longevity and aging. He does a fine job presenting the latest scientific research on life span, senescence, and death. Here is a sampler of some of the fascinating data he reveals:
• Since 1840 life expectancy has increased at the astonishing rate of nearly 3 months per year, or the equivalent of 15 minutes an hour.
• In 1970 the average age at death for men was 67; by 2006 it has reached 75. For women over the same period, life expectancy increased from 75 to 81 years.
• 40% of a group of American supercentarians between the ages of 110 and 119 were healthy enough to live independently.
There is truth to both of these statements: "Live fast, die young" and its corollary "Live slow, die old."
Silvertown's explorations also include a look at longevity genes, the short lifespans of mayflies, natural selection, and suicide. Longevity is a hot topic these days, and this brief work offers an entertaining and edifying entry to it.
