When I'm 164: The New Science of Radical Life Extension, and What Happens If It Succeeds

by David Ewing Duncan

How long do you want to live, and why? These are the questions that bestselling author ('Experimental Man') and science writer David Ewing Duncan explores, with surprising results. 'When I'm 164' surveys the increasingly legitimate science of radical life extension — from genetics and regeneration to machine solutions — and considers the pluses and minuses of living to age 164, or beyond: everything from the impact on population and the cost of living to what happens to love, curiosity, and health. Concluding that anti-aging technologies will probably succeed in the next 30 to 50 years, Duncan brings us back to the age-old question posed by the Beatles in their classic song: “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m … ”

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

62 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 15, 2012

About the author

David Ewing Duncan is the author of seven books including the worldwide bestseller Calendar. He is Chief Correspondent of public radio's Biotech Nation, a commentator on NPR's Morning Edition, and a contributing editor and a columnist for Conde Nast Portfolio. He has been a contributing editor to Wired, Discover and Technology Review, and has written for Harper s, The Atlantic, Fortune, and many other publications. He is a former special correspondent and producer for ABC Nightline and a correspondent for NOVA s ScienceNOW! He has won numerous awards including the Magazine Story of the Year from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He lives in San Francisco and is the Director of the Center of Life Science Policy at UC Berkeley. "

Reviews

[Michael Atkinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I decided to make a quick pie chart of what exactly was in this book, and was so bugged I bumped it down from 3 to 2 stars. Unfortunately this book would have been better off if it were longer. Take out end notes, epilogue musings, what random people polled think and other fluff, and you have perhaps 20 pages, maybe a little more, of solid material.

I simply wanted more details. Lay out a robust case of WHY we will live to be so old. A few pages, literally, for a major field that is contributing to this is a failure in my eyes. I know it's a short book. But look at the percentage of content below. Don't spend pages on myths of ageing and relatively nothing on the meat. Show us trends, show us data, show us products and service and inter market analyses and case studies and, and....

I wanted so much from this book and got almost nothing. I was really disappointed, sorry.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

VERY INTERESTING. VERY TOUGHT PROVOKING.

“Desired Lifespan (30,000 people asked): • 80 Years – 60%, • 120 Year – 30%, • 150 Year – 10%, • Forever - < 1%.”

Thank goodness for the (<) 1% lunatic fringe, the techno-optimists and the techno-heroes. Without them we’d probably never have made it into the Stone Age, let alone beyond.

Consistent with the mantra of TED Conferences and TED Videos, TED Books offer another exciting delivery system for my needed doses of “ideas worth spreading”.

‘When I’m 164: The New Science of Radical Life Extension, and What happens If it Succeeds,’ by David Ewing Duncan is a quick glimpse at the prospects, possibilities and probabilities of doubling human life span in the not too distant future. Will it be possible? Will it be desirable/appreciated?

Recommendation: Check out this ebook from TED Books. You can find this title, and the entire TED Books lineup, at ted.com/tedbooks. And check out the over 1,000 great videos at
http://www.ted.com/talks

"I also can’t shake the realization that radical life extension is a selfish act"
TED Books edition

[Simon Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

DED provides his usual thoughtful and illuminating exploration of an interesting subject.

[John Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHEN I'M 164; The New Science of Radical Life Extension, and What Happens If It Succeeds
by DAVID EWING DUNCAN

Read by an octogenarian

Another compelling and insightful read via TED's Books. An easy to read compilation of insights about our life journeys by the author and a vast number of other notable humans. Succinctly documented and linked to their sources.

As a successful octogenarian, reading this book I was compelled to briefly list my medical history from my birth to the present.

SCARS

Soul scar: Mother didn't feed me at birth. Nanny wet nursed
Born tongue-tied
Electrocuted body badly burned, near death at 2 years,
Measles near death
Four broken arms
Surgery allowed me to speak, and a surprise circumcision
Chemical burn scars on both legs
Deep scar in left index finger
140 stitches in groin, bowel section
Some hearing loss, from rock drilling
Six inch scar in forehead
High Altitude Sickness mountaineering at fifty-six
Scar on left shin, from cancer removal
Crippling sciatica while restoring vintage Airstream
Hauled it to Baja California Sur, Mexico at seventy
Live full time in Los Barriles, BSC write stories, books & poetry
Both eyes cataract removal lens replacement
Diastasis Recti at age seventy-four
Fifteen melanomas removed scars on body and nose
Large scar on left forearm, carcinogen removed
Scar on left shin, carcinogen removed
Twelve scar stitches on left cheek
Eight scar stitches on left leg shin
Bleeding ulcer at eighty-three
Colonoscopy revealed no cancers
Possible liver cirrhosis, I'll miss my tequila shots
More fun, my sophageal endoscopy is next week

In October I'll beat the current odds, becoming eighty-four and still writing everyday
Born in 1933, live to one hundred and twenty years, depart this life in 2100!

Gracias, David Duncan for writing and publishing this valuable compendium.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick primer on longevity and life extension possibilities. It covers the main feasible approaches and the dominant discussion for and against life extension. Nothing new introduced or developed here, but a good, light introduction to the key ideas in the area.

[Timothy Finucane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A concise little book set at about the same length as a TED conference presentation. The book presents a general overview of the anti-aging idea, discussing both good and bad points. Not much of this is really new and has been covered in other books, but it does make for a nice introduction to the concepts. This book was my first introduction to the TED books series and this one was interesting enough that I will probably check out a few more of them.

[nico · Rating 3 out of 5]

This should have been a series, with a Kindle Single devoted to each of the categories of life extension that Duncan covers. Far too broad as it is - this read would only be new and interesting for people who have very little knowledge of popular science in general.

[Manoj]

I read the sample and it was interesting, but didn't feel like reading the rest at this time. Maybe when I am bored in the summer.

[Rubens Oliveira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Explica até que bem as pesquisas relacionadas a longevidade e as vantagens e desvantagens de uma civilização onde as pessoas poderão viver mais