Opossums in the wild don't make it to the age of three; our pet cats can live for a decade and a half; cicadas live for seventeen years (spending most of them underground). Whales, however, can live for two centuries and tubeworms for several millennia. Meanwhile, human life expectancy tops out around the mid-eighties, with some outliers living past 100 or even 110. Is there anything humans can learn from the exceptional longevity of some animals in the wild? In Methuselah's Zoo, Steven Austad tells the stories of some extraordinary animals, considering why, for example, animal species that fly live longer than earthbound species and why animals found in the ocean live longest of all.
Austadāthe leading authority on longevity in animalsāargues that the best way we will learn from these long-lived animals is by studying them in the wild. Accordingly, he proceeds habitat by habitat, examining animals that spend most of their lives in the air, comparing insects, birds, and bats; animals that live on, and under, the groundāfrom mole rats to elephants; and animals that live in the sea, including quahogs, carp, and dolphins.
Humans have dramatically increased their lifespan with only a limited increase in healthspan; we're more and more prone to diseases as we grow older. By contrast, these species have successfully avoided both environmental hazards and the depredations of aging. Can we be more like them?
eBook - ePub
Methuselah's Zoo
What Nature Can Teach Us about Living Longer, Healthier Lives
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Information
Subtopic
BiologyIndex
Biological SciencesTable of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- 1. Doctor Dunnetās Fulmar
- I: Longevity in the Air
- II: Longevity on the Earth
- III: Longevity in the Sea
- IV: Human Longevity
- Appendix
- Further Reading
- Index
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Yes, you can access Methuselah's Zoo by Steven N. Austad in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Biological Sciences & Biology. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.