Specifications

Black-and-white photographs and line illustrations. Appendix. Bibliography. Glossary. Tables. Web sites. Index.

Summary

There are almost as many theories about the aging process as there are researchers working in the field. This stems from the fact that scientists do not know why animals grow old and examine every aspect of an animal's physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology in attempting to answer this important question. The current trend among biologists studying the way animals grow old is to keep the theories in mind, but to focus their attention on dominant age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's or cardiovascular disease.

The Science of Aging tackles this fascinating subject, from natural processes to technological developments, and describes past and present research on extending the human life span. Different theories about aging and the studies of the fruit fly and housefly, which have provided a basis of knowledge in this field, are presented in a clear and concise manner. The use of hormone therapy is explored as a possible way to reverse the effects of aging, the use of antioxidants is discussed as another area being pursued by scientists seeking to find the key to extending the human life span, and possible side effects and monetary expenses are also examined. This volume presents the full story about the hopes, efforts, progress, and realities of this timeless topic.

About the Author(s)

Joseph Panno, Ph.D., holds a degree in biology from Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, and specializes in molecular biology and physiology. He has taught a variety of undergraduate biology courses and published in numerous peer-reviewed publications including Cytometry and Molecular Brain Research.