Ending Aging: The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime

366 Pages·2007·4.59 MB·English

by  Aubrey de Grey

ENDING AGING

E N D I NG
A G I NG
The Rejuvenation
Breakthroughs That
Could Reverse Human
Aging in Our Lifetime
Aubrey de Grey, Ph.D.,
with Michael Rae
ST. MARTIN'S PRESS NEW YORK
ENDING AGING. Copyright © 2007 by Aubrey de Grey. All rights reserved. Printed in the
United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address
St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www. stmartins.com
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
De Grey, Aubrey D. N. J., 1963-
Ending aging : the rejuvenation breakthroughs that could reverse human aging
in our lifetime / Aubrey de Grey ; with Michael Rae.—1st. ed.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-36706-0
ISBN-10: 0-312-36706-6
1. Longevity. 2. Aging—Molecular aspects. 3. Biotechnology. I. Rae, Michael.
II. Title.
QP85.D348 2007
612.6'8—dc22
2007020217
First Edition: September 2007
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21
Aubrey dedicates this book as follows: "To the tens of millions
whose indefinite escape from aging depends on our actions today."
Michael dedicates this book as follows: "To the two tenders of the
flames that have inspired me throughout this work. To April Smith,
for erupting, like Athena, out of the secret depths of my mind,
raining Greek fire on my Manichee heart, reigniting smoldering
embers I had thought long extinguished, and opening up the
promise of a shared indefinite tomorrow; and to Dr. Aubrey de
Grey, for tirelessly and courageously bearing Promethean fire to a
world yet shivering under the winter of age-related death and decay,
kindling the sparks that we must fan into a blaze that will cast out
its obscuring darkness and melt its frozen grip."

Contents
Preface ix
Part One 1
1. The Eureka Moment 3
2. Wake Up—Aging Kills! 7
3. Demystifying Aging 16
4. Engineering Rejuvenation 32
Part Two 47
5. Meltdown of the Cellular Power Plants 49
6. Getting Off the Grid 77
7. Upgrading the Biological Incinerators 101
8. Cutting Free of the Cellular Spider Webs 134
Viii C O N T E N TS
9. Breaking the Shackles of AGE 164
10. Putting the Zombies to Rest 200
11. New Cells for Old 238
12. Nuclear Mutations and the Total Defeat of Cancer 274
Part Three 309
13. Getting from Here to There: The War on Aging 311
14. Bootstrapping Our Way to an Ageless Future 325
15. War Bonds for the Campaign Against Aging 335
Notes 341
Glossary 363
Index 379