
- 352 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
"Utterly fascinating." —Bill Bryson
"An incredible journey." —Siddhartha Mukherjee
*WINNER OF THE 2025 ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS PROSE AWARD FOR BEST BOOK ON BIOLOGY*
*2025 NAUTILUS BOOK AWARDS GOLD WINNER FOR SCIENCE AND COSMOLOGY*
A groundbreaking exploration of the science of longevity and mortality—from Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Venki Ramakrishnan
The knowledge of death is so terrifying that we live most of our lives in denial of it. One of the most difficult moments of childhood must be when each of us first realizes that not only we but all our loved ones will die—and there is nothing we can do about it.
Or at least, there hasn’t been. Today, we are living through a revolution in biology. Giant strides are being made in understanding why we age—and why some species live longer than others. Could we eventually cheat disease and death and live for a very long time, possibly many times our current lifespan?
Venki Ramakrishnan, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and former president of the Royal Society, takes us on a riveting journey to the frontiers of biology, asking whether we must be mortal. Covering the recent breakthroughs in scientific research, he examines the cutting edge of efforts to extend lifespan by altering our physiology. But might death serve a necessary biological purpose? What are the social and ethical costs of attempting to live forever?
Why We Die is a narrative of uncommon insight and beauty from one of our leading public intellectuals.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Introduction
- 1. The Immortal Gene and the Disposable Body
- 2. Live Fast and Die Young
- 3. Destroying the Master Controller
- 4. The Problem with Ends
- 5. Resetting the Biological Clock
- 6. Recycling the Garbage
- 7. Less Is More
- 8. Lessons from a Lowly Worm
- 9. The Stowaway Within Us
- 10. Aches, Pains, and Vampire Blood
- 11. Crackpots or Prophets?
- 12. Should We Live Forever?
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
- Index
- About the Author
- Also by Venki Ramakrishnan
- Copyright
- About the Publisher