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Aging by Design: How New Thinking on Aging Will Change Your Life
Why do we age? How do we age? These questions have baffled scientists for centuries and remain unresolved. The answer to the “how” question is critical to our ability to successfully prevent and treat age-related diseases like cancer and heart disease that now cause the majority of all deaths in the developed world. Because of major difficulties in experimentally determining causes of aging, the answer to the “why” question is critical to guiding research efforts directed toward identifying and altering processes involved in age-related diseases.
Evolution theory plays a critical role in determining why we age because it attempts to explain why each living organism has its particular design and therefore why different species display different aging characteristics and different life spans.
This short book describes the history and current status of attempts to explain why we age extending from Darwin’s 1859 theory to the present. The author provides colorful and interesting descriptions of the theorists, their theories, the discoveries and the controversies that have led us to the current situation: Although there is very wide scientific agreement about most aspects of evolution theory, four different theories now exist concerning the fine details that apply to aging. These four theories lead to radically different concepts regarding the actual biological mechanisms behind the aging process and consequently the mechanisms behind age-related diseases.
The book goes on to discuss observations and experiments that offer clues as to the nature of biological aging mechanisms. These include apparently non-aging animals, worm experiments, rat blood-exchange experiments, caloric restriction experiments, octopus experiments, and the discovery of genes that cause aging.
Goldsmith then leads us through an analysis that concludes that programmed aging is the aging theory that best matches all of the direct evidence and current status of the evolution theories,. We age because we are designed to age. We are designed to age because a limited life span conveys an evolutionary benefit. Most current medical researchers believe in non-programmed aging and much of the evidence for programmed aging comes from non-human sources. If the programmed theory of biological aging, first proposed in 1882, is indeed correct, it has major implications regarding the way we think about and seek to prevent or treat age-related diseases. It also suggests that it may well be possible in the relatively near term to generally delay the aging process. Which theory is correct could therefore greatly affect many people now alive! The book describes some current aging researchers, research activities, and results.
A final question is discussed: How could we be living in the twenty-first century and still not have scientific agreement on even the fundamental nature of aging? The author suggests that several non-science factors including the sequence in which various theories were developed and the perception that the issue was academic have influenced thinking and delayed the development of scientific agreement.
ISBN: 978-0-9788709-3-5 illustrated, 70 pages
Revised 5-2014
Evolution theory plays a critical role in determining why we age because it attempts to explain why each living organism has its particular design and therefore why different species display different aging characteristics and different life spans.
This short book describes the history and current status of attempts to explain why we age extending from Darwin’s 1859 theory to the present. The author provides colorful and interesting descriptions of the theorists, their theories, the discoveries and the controversies that have led us to the current situation: Although there is very wide scientific agreement about most aspects of evolution theory, four different theories now exist concerning the fine details that apply to aging. These four theories lead to radically different concepts regarding the actual biological mechanisms behind the aging process and consequently the mechanisms behind age-related diseases.
The book goes on to discuss observations and experiments that offer clues as to the nature of biological aging mechanisms. These include apparently non-aging animals, worm experiments, rat blood-exchange experiments, caloric restriction experiments, octopus experiments, and the discovery of genes that cause aging.
Goldsmith then leads us through an analysis that concludes that programmed aging is the aging theory that best matches all of the direct evidence and current status of the evolution theories,. We age because we are designed to age. We are designed to age because a limited life span conveys an evolutionary benefit. Most current medical researchers believe in non-programmed aging and much of the evidence for programmed aging comes from non-human sources. If the programmed theory of biological aging, first proposed in 1882, is indeed correct, it has major implications regarding the way we think about and seek to prevent or treat age-related diseases. It also suggests that it may well be possible in the relatively near term to generally delay the aging process. Which theory is correct could therefore greatly affect many people now alive! The book describes some current aging researchers, research activities, and results.
A final question is discussed: How could we be living in the twenty-first century and still not have scientific agreement on even the fundamental nature of aging? The author suggests that several non-science factors including the sequence in which various theories were developed and the perception that the issue was academic have influenced thinking and delayed the development of scientific agreement.
ISBN: 978-0-9788709-3-5 illustrated, 70 pages
Revised 5-2014
- GenresScienceNonfiction
ebook
First published August 30, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 13, 2018
I picked this up on a whim. I had created a website where my two main interests involve restoring health and maintaining health. Within restoring health I have a category called aging/anti-aging. This book was the first of several I planned to read to help me "get up to speed". I am very glad I got it.
The author helped me to come to grips with two different theories of aging and death. My terms for the two theories are 1) Built-in and 2) Wear and Tear. The author calls them Programmed and Non-programmed. I prefer my terms.
I am old enough that I learned the wear and tear explanation for why we age and die. As a result of reading T. Goldsmith's book, I have come to the conclusion that Built-in makes more sense. I think the truth may be a combination of the two. We experience wear and tear throughout our lives. The built-in mechanisms including aging genes and hormone signaling tell our bodies when to slow down repair.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in aging. I cannot imagine why that does not include everyone.
The author helped me to come to grips with two different theories of aging and death. My terms for the two theories are 1) Built-in and 2) Wear and Tear. The author calls them Programmed and Non-programmed. I prefer my terms.
I am old enough that I learned the wear and tear explanation for why we age and die. As a result of reading T. Goldsmith's book, I have come to the conclusion that Built-in makes more sense. I think the truth may be a combination of the two. We experience wear and tear throughout our lives. The built-in mechanisms including aging genes and hormone signaling tell our bodies when to slow down repair.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in aging. I cannot imagine why that does not include everyone.
July 14, 2020
Theoretical design limits, only.
Doesn't cover the full diversity of population variables; geography, health, trauma, etc. Sociocultural design is much more significant for complex social organisms. These superstructures are much more important than the biochemical machinery of individual sub units.
Doesn't cover the full diversity of population variables; geography, health, trauma, etc. Sociocultural design is much more significant for complex social organisms. These superstructures are much more important than the biochemical machinery of individual sub units.
March 13, 2012
This book describes the continuing lack of scientific agreement on the nature of biological aging. The three theories: Aging results from fundamental (and unalterable) deteriorative processes; aging results from the fact that our bodies do not try harder not to age; aging results from our possessing, in effect, a suicide mechanism that purposely limits lifespan. The book has pictures and descriptions of the scientists responsible for developing the various theories and an overview of their implications for the future of medical attempts to treat and prevent age-related diseases.
September 21, 2016
very much like his other book....An Introduction to Biological Aging Theory .
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews