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  • Published: 7 January 2020
  • ISBN: 9781426219801
  • Imprint: National Geographic
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $49.99
Categories:

Immortality, Inc.

Renegade Science, Silicon Valley Billions, and the Quest to Live Forever



This gripping narrative explores today's scientific pursuit of immortality, with exclusive visits inside Silicon Valley labs and interviews with the visionaries who believe we will soon crack into the aging process and cure death.

This gripping narrative explores today's scientific pursuit of immortality, with exclusive visits inside Silicon Valley labs and interviews with the visionaries who believe we will soon crack into the aging process and cure death.

We live in an age when billionaires are betting their fortunes on laboratory advances to prove aging unnecessary and death a disease that can be cured. Researchers are delving into the mysteries of stem cells and the human genome, discovering what it means to grow old and how to keep those processes from happening. This isn't science fiction; it's real, it's serious, and it's on track to revolutionize our definitions of life and mortality.

In Immortality, Inc., veteran science journalist Chip Walter gains exclusive access to the champions of this radical cause, delivering a book that brings together for the first time the visions of molecular biologist and Apple chairman Arthur Levinson, genomics entrepreneur Craig Venter, futurist Ray Kurzweil, rejuvenation trailblazer Aubrey de Grey, and stem cell expert Robert Hariri. Along the way, Walter weaves in fascinating conversations about life, death, aging, and the future of the human race.

  • Published: 7 January 2020
  • ISBN: 9781426219801
  • Imprint: National Geographic
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $49.99
Categories:

Praise for Immortality, Inc.

“Chip Walter has written an extraordinary book. What a cast. What a story. What a book.” – William Shatner “The quest to conquer aging is one of the most extraordinary developments in science today. We may not live to see the end of it, but we can watch the beginning. Immortality, Inc. is a colorful, entertaining, and up-to-date tour of the frontier.” –Jonathan Weiner, [Pulitzer Prize–winning] author of The Beak of the Finch and Long for This World   “It is with mixed emotions that an aging mere mortal reads this engrossing account of the efforts of wealthy immortal wannabes to delay or defeat death: freezing their own corpses for later revival and – more importantly - supporting significant advances in research to slow or stop aging. Walter’s story is as important as it is fascinating. It begs such big questions as: Should the gap between the life spans of the rich and the less fortunate become still greater in the future? How and when will this research benefit poorer individuals and nations? If death becomes unnatural and life thus more precious, will human beings become more peaceful or more warlike in protecting their own lives? And what would be the effect on religions that promise life after death? If not a call to action, this compelling narrative is certainly a call to thought. When future generations find themselves living in a world where life spans reach hundreds of years, readers can look back at Walter’s book to see how it all started. This book will age well.” –Tony Lake, Director of UNICEF