Created June 11th, 1996. Updated August 7th, 1998. Copyright 1996-98 by Duane Hewitt
How and Why We Age by Leonard Hayflick, PhD.,
Ballantine Books, New York, 1994.
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Hayflick's book serves as an introduction that is reasonably accessible to those unfamiliar with biology. He takes some positions that are not very encouraging and outlines some of the difficulties that we face in order to extend average life expectancy. He is very skeptical about the possibility of extending the maximum human lifespan and I will grant that it is a very difficult problem but I do not believe that it is an impossible one.
He admits that the jury is still out regarding the maximum achievable human lifespan but seems to reach a verdict that the maximum human lifespan is 115 years. However, Jeanne Calment recently passed away at 121 years old. He does provide solid encouragement to abandon some of the current stereotypes about growing old.
To forward information or give feedback: duane@immortality.org