Lifespan — David Sinclair with Matthew LaPlante
Hardcover | Atria Books | September 10, 2019
The Gist
Through a combination of new technologies and simple lifestyle changes, we are going to be able to live longer and healthier lives sooner than we think.
Read if you like
Health and wellness
Cutting-edge science
The Verdict: Read It
Lifespan: How We Age and Why We Don’t Have To brings us to the forefront of aging research where Sinclair, amongst many other scientists, is developing a better understanding of why we age and how we can slow or even reverse it. The book is divided into three parts. The first is dedicated to bringing readers up to speed on aging research (from a 50K snapshot). Part 2 outlines lifestyle changes people can make right now and discusses emerging technologies that may be coming to market sooner than we think to help us get better care based on our genetics and medical history. Part 3 is then dedicated to the future and what the implication of having a longer lifespan could mean for us as a species, the planet, and societal institutions and infrastructures. Though the material may sometimes be dense for the average reader, Sinclair consistently speaks in layman’s terms, shifting between science and real-world applications and, most importantly, addressing counterarguments. This keeps the prose moving and also enables Sinclair to show that he is aware that this research often sounds more like science fiction than something that could very soon become a reality (which he maintains is coming whether we believe it or not). His awareness combined with his passion make for an intriguing read that will challenge our beliefs around aging.
