In this Book
- The Evolution of Death: Why We Are Living Longer
- Book
- 2006
- Published by: State University of New York Press
- Series: SUNY series in Philosophy and Biology
summary
In The Evolution of Death, the follow-up to Becoming Immortal: Combining Cloning and Stem-Cell Therapy, also published by SUNY Press, Stanley Shostak argues that death, like life, can evolve. Observing that literature, philosophy, religion, genetics, physics, and gerontology still struggle to explain why we die, Shostak explores the mystery of death from a biological perspective.
Death, Shostak claims, is not the end of a linear journey, static and indifferent to change. Instead, he suggests, the current efforts to live longer have profoundly affected our ecological niche, and we are evolving into a long-lived species. Pointing to the artificial means currently used to prolong life, he argues that as we become increasingly juvenilized in our adult life, death will become significantly and evolutionarily delayed. As bodies evolve, the embryos of succeeding generations may be accumulating the stem cells that preserve and restore, providing the resources necessary to live longer and longer. If trends like this continue, Shostak contends, future human beings may join the ranks of other animals with indefinite life spans.
Table of Contents
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- Illustrations
- pp. ix-x
- Chapter 4. Keeping Life Afloat
- pp. 89-106
- Chapter 5. Putting Cells in the Picture
- pp. 107-132
- Chapter 6. Neoteny and Longevity
- pp. 133-150
- Appendix: Different Forms of Life and Death
- pp. 161-172
- Bibliography
- pp. 205-234
Additional Information
ISBN
9780791480816
DOI
MARC Record
OCLC
868030727
Pages
260
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No