What do you think?
Rate this book
The Longevity Seekers: Science, Business, and the Fountain of Youth
People have searched for the fountain of youth everywhere from Bimini to St. Augustine. But for a steadfast group of scientists, the secret to a long life lies in the lowly lab worm. By suppressing the function of just a few key genes, these scientists were able to lengthen worms’ lifespans up to tenfold, while also controlling the onset of many of the physical problems that beset old age. As the global population ages, the potential impact of this discovery on society is vast—as is the potential for profit.
With The Longevity Seekers , science writer Ted Anton takes readers inside this tale that began with worms and branched out to snare innovative minds from California to Crete, investments from big biotech, and endorsements from TV personalities like Oprah and Dr. Oz. Some of the research was remarkable, such as the discovery of an enzyme in humans that stops cells from aging. And some, like an oft-cited study touting the compound resveratrol, found in red wine—proved highly controversial, igniting a science war over truth, credit, and potential profit. As the pace of discovery accelerated, so too did powerful personal rivalries and public fascination, driven by the hope that a longer, healthier life was right around the corner. Anton has spent years interviewing and working with the scientists at the frontier of longevity science, and this book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the state-of-the-art research and the impact it might have on global public health, society, and even our friends and family.
With spectacular science and an unforgettable cast of characters, The Longevity Seekers has all the elements of a great story and sheds light on discoveriesthat could fundamentally reshape human life.
With The Longevity Seekers , science writer Ted Anton takes readers inside this tale that began with worms and branched out to snare innovative minds from California to Crete, investments from big biotech, and endorsements from TV personalities like Oprah and Dr. Oz. Some of the research was remarkable, such as the discovery of an enzyme in humans that stops cells from aging. And some, like an oft-cited study touting the compound resveratrol, found in red wine—proved highly controversial, igniting a science war over truth, credit, and potential profit. As the pace of discovery accelerated, so too did powerful personal rivalries and public fascination, driven by the hope that a longer, healthier life was right around the corner. Anton has spent years interviewing and working with the scientists at the frontier of longevity science, and this book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the state-of-the-art research and the impact it might have on global public health, society, and even our friends and family.
With spectacular science and an unforgettable cast of characters, The Longevity Seekers has all the elements of a great story and sheds light on discoveriesthat could fundamentally reshape human life.
- GenresScienceHealthNonfiction
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
8 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 1, 2025
ENGLISH: This book is a journalistic, rather than scientific, account of research into "longevity genes," which are supposed to help extend the maximum human lifespan, something that hasn't been achieved in thousands of years, and which recent medical advances haven't been able to extend at all.
The book contains some historical and scientific mistakes. For example, in chapter 11, it claims that Cro-Magnon man was our cousin, alongside Neanderthal man, when in fact he was modern man, just like us.
I didn't like the structure of this book: despite the chapters claiming to be in chronological order, there are constant repetitions and jumps back and forth in time. Despite all this, I found it useful because it describes a part of the history of science that I wasn't very familiar with. But if I wanted to delve deeper into it, I'd have to look for other sources, because this book is shallow and relies more on anecdotes than on scientific facts.
ESPAÑOL: Este libro es un relato periodístico, más que científico, de la investigación sobre los "genes de la longevidad", que se supone ayudarán a prolongar la duración máxima de la vida humana, algo que no se ha conseguido en miles de años, y que los recientes avances de la Medicina no han logrado alargar.
El libro contiene algún error histórico-científico. Por ejemplo, en el capítulo 11 afirma que el hombre de Cromañón fue un primo nuestro, al lado del hombre de Neanderthal, cuando en realidad era el hombre moderno, igual que nosotros.
La estructura del libro no me ha gustado: a pesar de que los capítulos dicen ir por orden cronológico, continuamente hay muchas repeticiones y saltos adelante y atrás en el tiempo. A pesar de todo, me ha resultado útil, porque describe una parte de la historia de la ciencia que yo no conocía a fondo. Pero si quisiera profundizar en ella, tendría que buscar otras fuentes, porque este libro es bastante superficial y se apoya más en anécdotas que en hechos científicos.
The book contains some historical and scientific mistakes. For example, in chapter 11, it claims that Cro-Magnon man was our cousin, alongside Neanderthal man, when in fact he was modern man, just like us.
I didn't like the structure of this book: despite the chapters claiming to be in chronological order, there are constant repetitions and jumps back and forth in time. Despite all this, I found it useful because it describes a part of the history of science that I wasn't very familiar with. But if I wanted to delve deeper into it, I'd have to look for other sources, because this book is shallow and relies more on anecdotes than on scientific facts.
ESPAÑOL: Este libro es un relato periodístico, más que científico, de la investigación sobre los "genes de la longevidad", que se supone ayudarán a prolongar la duración máxima de la vida humana, algo que no se ha conseguido en miles de años, y que los recientes avances de la Medicina no han logrado alargar.
El libro contiene algún error histórico-científico. Por ejemplo, en el capítulo 11 afirma que el hombre de Cromañón fue un primo nuestro, al lado del hombre de Neanderthal, cuando en realidad era el hombre moderno, igual que nosotros.
La estructura del libro no me ha gustado: a pesar de que los capítulos dicen ir por orden cronológico, continuamente hay muchas repeticiones y saltos adelante y atrás en el tiempo. A pesar de todo, me ha resultado útil, porque describe una parte de la historia de la ciencia que yo no conocía a fondo. Pero si quisiera profundizar en ella, tendría que buscar otras fuentes, porque este libro es bastante superficial y se apoya más en anécdotas que en hechos científicos.
March 20, 2015
I picked this book up to read for a class where we give books reports because getting a PhD is apparently no different from passing the 4th grade. Anyway, I have lots of mixed feelings about science books, mostly because the science is so broad and general that it doesn't really paint a good picture of what research really IS. This book, pleasantly, did not suffer from that.
Longevity Seekers is a dense but rich history of the science of ageing (which, ugh, is spelled wrong the whole time in this book). What's interesting about this "history" is that it isn't very long- the science didn't really emerge until the 1980s and didn't hit stride until the mid-2000s. This makes the study of ageing very interesting from even a cultural perspective -the sciences of cancer and many other diseases were established in the earliest days of molecular biology, and their evolution as an area of study was somewhat slow, as it was limited by technology. Here, technology really drove the whole paradigm shift in how we understand the way people grow old on a molecular level, but because of how dramatic this gain of knowledge was, many people went off in many different directions at the same time.
Overall, I thought this book treated the science very well. It never felt like an afterthought, and though it would've been nice if there had been graphs or pathway diagrammes -maybe some of the experiments could have been described in a bit more detail -the science was definitely the focus, at least for the first half of the book. The shift into business vs academia and the portrayals of the characters in the field livened things up and prompted some good policy debates.
Main problems with the book: it could actually have been longer. Anton did a very good job touching upon almost all aspects of this discipline, but nothing was fleshed out in depth. There were plenty of references to other books and other research, which makes me feel like this book is a good stepping stone if you're interested in the subject, but as a standalone book some things were left wanting. Having a science background definitely helped; I'm not sure laymen would find this book terribly interesting because it doesn't dig too deep in human interest or the drama of industry/academia, and there are multiple pathways/genes/species to keep track of. I liked its unbiased approach to the more subjective subjects, but unfortunately I think it lacks broader appeal. Also, the attempt to keep the history chronological gets a bit trying towards the end when you learn that a lot of stuff couldn't be repeated or was invalidated. I would have preferred he focused on one pathway's evolution and study at a time rather than trying to keep the whole field chronological.
All in all I would definitely recommend this book, and think it broaches on some very interesting debates that affect the current scientific community. There are many things worth learning more about, and this book is a good starting point to illustrate just how dramatic shifts in technology and throughput have allowed science to leap ahead compared to earlier research interests. I know the book may feel unapproachable at times with the science-heavy background, but I think it's important for people to understand just how much goes into researching something so fundamental. It may not be a total package, but it's a good stepping stone.
Longevity Seekers is a dense but rich history of the science of ageing (which, ugh, is spelled wrong the whole time in this book). What's interesting about this "history" is that it isn't very long- the science didn't really emerge until the 1980s and didn't hit stride until the mid-2000s. This makes the study of ageing very interesting from even a cultural perspective -the sciences of cancer and many other diseases were established in the earliest days of molecular biology, and their evolution as an area of study was somewhat slow, as it was limited by technology. Here, technology really drove the whole paradigm shift in how we understand the way people grow old on a molecular level, but because of how dramatic this gain of knowledge was, many people went off in many different directions at the same time.
Overall, I thought this book treated the science very well. It never felt like an afterthought, and though it would've been nice if there had been graphs or pathway diagrammes -maybe some of the experiments could have been described in a bit more detail -the science was definitely the focus, at least for the first half of the book. The shift into business vs academia and the portrayals of the characters in the field livened things up and prompted some good policy debates.
Main problems with the book: it could actually have been longer. Anton did a very good job touching upon almost all aspects of this discipline, but nothing was fleshed out in depth. There were plenty of references to other books and other research, which makes me feel like this book is a good stepping stone if you're interested in the subject, but as a standalone book some things were left wanting. Having a science background definitely helped; I'm not sure laymen would find this book terribly interesting because it doesn't dig too deep in human interest or the drama of industry/academia, and there are multiple pathways/genes/species to keep track of. I liked its unbiased approach to the more subjective subjects, but unfortunately I think it lacks broader appeal. Also, the attempt to keep the history chronological gets a bit trying towards the end when you learn that a lot of stuff couldn't be repeated or was invalidated. I would have preferred he focused on one pathway's evolution and study at a time rather than trying to keep the whole field chronological.
All in all I would definitely recommend this book, and think it broaches on some very interesting debates that affect the current scientific community. There are many things worth learning more about, and this book is a good starting point to illustrate just how dramatic shifts in technology and throughput have allowed science to leap ahead compared to earlier research interests. I know the book may feel unapproachable at times with the science-heavy background, but I think it's important for people to understand just how much goes into researching something so fundamental. It may not be a total package, but it's a good stepping stone.
September 10, 2016
I got this book free from the University of Chicago press (monthly ebook giveaway). It was an interesting read. Somehow I find comforting the thought of all those people doing research on how to improve/prevent human aging. This book gives a friendly insight into what happened to the researchers as they fought for funding and explored competing ideas. Sometimes it was a bit difficult to keep track of what experiments were done by which laboratory or scientist, but in general, it was interesting to take a quick look at how complicated our genetic infrastructure is.
Let's hope some of the researchers and labs get to a breakthrough during our lifetimes; I personally wouldn't mind to live a few decades longer if I can do so in a healthy way.
Let's hope some of the researchers and labs get to a breakthrough during our lifetimes; I personally wouldn't mind to live a few decades longer if I can do so in a healthy way.
February 15, 2014
some interesting points, but the author focuses to much on personalitys and other trivia.
He also tells of many experiments, then 10 to 50 pages later says someone else couldn't replicate the experiment and the original idea is invalid.
If you take a week to read the book as I did, it's hard to remember what was valid and what wasn't.
The epilogue is telling, it doesn't say anything about recent science in the field, it only tells where the people are working now.
\
I couldn't care less where any of them work now.
He also tells of many experiments, then 10 to 50 pages later says someone else couldn't replicate the experiment and the original idea is invalid.
If you take a week to read the book as I did, it's hard to remember what was valid and what wasn't.
The epilogue is telling, it doesn't say anything about recent science in the field, it only tells where the people are working now.
\
I couldn't care less where any of them work now.
May 1, 2016
free ebook UofC. microinformative macro for others
May 24, 2016
Engaging although technical narrative, fascinating story somewhat dense and occasionally personal.
August 15, 2014
Highlights in words: Calorie restriction, polyphenols (Resveratrol), stem cells, Sirtuins, nrf2...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews