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Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature's Secrets to Longevity
A Sunday Times (UK) Best Book of the Year • This eye-opening book offers a "clear and captivating" (Dr. Kris Verburgh) scientific deep dive into how plants and animals have already unlocked the secrets to immortality–and the lessons they hold for us all.
Recent advances in medicine and technology have expanded our understanding of aging across the animal kingdom, and our own timeless quest for the fountain of youth. Yet, despite modern humans living longer today than ever before, the public’s understanding of what is possible is limited to our species—until now. In this spunky, effervescent debut, the key to immortality is revealed to be a superpower within reach. With mind-bending stories from the natural world and our own, Jellyfish Age Backwards reveals lifespans we cannot imagine and physiological gifts that feel closer to magic than reality:
• There is a Greenland shark that was 286 years old when the Titanic sank, and is currently 390, making it older than the United States. Scientists predict it will live for another 100 years.
• Trees and lobsters don’t “age” in the way we know it. They simply get bigger and bigger.
• There are forms of radiation that have been known to actually increase the lifespans of certain species, from tortoises to naked mole-rats.
• There's a species of jellyfish, the size of a fingernail, that can age forwards, then, when threatened, age backwards and begin the process all over again.
Mixing cutting-edge research and stories from habitats all around the world, molecular biologist Nicklas Brendborg explores extended life cycles in all its varieties. Along the way, we meet a man who fasted for over a year; a woman who edited her own DNA; redwoods that survive thousands of years; and in the soil of Easter Island, the key to eternal youth. Jellyfish Age Backwards is a love letter to the immense power of nature, and what the immortal lives of many of earth's animals and plants can teach us about the secrets to longevity.
Recent advances in medicine and technology have expanded our understanding of aging across the animal kingdom, and our own timeless quest for the fountain of youth. Yet, despite modern humans living longer today than ever before, the public’s understanding of what is possible is limited to our species—until now. In this spunky, effervescent debut, the key to immortality is revealed to be a superpower within reach. With mind-bending stories from the natural world and our own, Jellyfish Age Backwards reveals lifespans we cannot imagine and physiological gifts that feel closer to magic than reality:
• There is a Greenland shark that was 286 years old when the Titanic sank, and is currently 390, making it older than the United States. Scientists predict it will live for another 100 years.
• Trees and lobsters don’t “age” in the way we know it. They simply get bigger and bigger.
• There are forms of radiation that have been known to actually increase the lifespans of certain species, from tortoises to naked mole-rats.
• There's a species of jellyfish, the size of a fingernail, that can age forwards, then, when threatened, age backwards and begin the process all over again.
Mixing cutting-edge research and stories from habitats all around the world, molecular biologist Nicklas Brendborg explores extended life cycles in all its varieties. Along the way, we meet a man who fasted for over a year; a woman who edited her own DNA; redwoods that survive thousands of years; and in the soil of Easter Island, the key to eternal youth. Jellyfish Age Backwards is a love letter to the immense power of nature, and what the immortal lives of many of earth's animals and plants can teach us about the secrets to longevity.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2022
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September 14, 2024
As someone who gets stung by jellyfish basically every time I step into the ocean, I have grown to have a rather irrational fear of them. They are the enemy.
However, this book is seemingly less about the tentacled monsters as it is about aging, anti-aging and the human obsession with not dying. There is some rather engrossing information in here.
I had forgotten about this book until I got an email from the National Nordic Museum about an event that has since happened. If you're ever in Seattle, I highly recommend this museum. The surrounding neighborhood of Ballard is an old Scandinavian neighborhood.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company
However, this book is seemingly less about the tentacled monsters as it is about aging, anti-aging and the human obsession with not dying. There is some rather engrossing information in here.
I had forgotten about this book until I got an email from the National Nordic Museum about an event that has since happened. If you're ever in Seattle, I highly recommend this museum. The surrounding neighborhood of Ballard is an old Scandinavian neighborhood.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company
December 4, 2022
Among all the corrupt self-help books invoking exotic diets, lifestyle changes, nutritional supplements and mind over matter, there is the occasional worthwhile examination of the state of ageing. That is currently Jellyfish Age Backwards, by Niklas Brendborg. It is a pleasure to read such balanced evaluations of all the possibilities, without any of the hype. Readers might actually benefit from reading it.
Brendborg, a Danish molecular biologist by trade, collects facts, figures and anecdotes, and balances them against each other and against science. His book first examines everything but humans. He shows how various creatures extend their lives, and have the equipment to do so. He then spends the rest of the time among mice and men, looking at diet, lifestyle, supplements, medicines and attitudes. Everything has something to contribute, and lots to be wary of.
At all times, he is friendly, with a terrific bedside manner, the occasional attempt at a joke, and an independence that allows him to say this or that will not work or might even kill you instead. He is not pushing a new diet book or a new pill or a new online course. He is not looking for patients or political influence in the healthcare industry. He is just reporting the state of the art. A breath of fresh air.
He examines bees (workers vs queens), flatworms and the female octopus, all of which have been studied to determine the secrets of their differing lifespans. Bees, for example determine their lifespans by their roles. There is even much to learn about health and longevity from the naked mole-rat. Birds are relatively long-lived because they can fly away from threats. Smaller beings typically live longer, even when they are smaller versions of larger species (eg women vs men). Brendborg fills in readers on the why, and whether we could leverage this knowledge for longer lives for all mankind.
There have been communities of extremely long-lived people. Hucksters have leveraged their traditional diets into books and food delivery services, but the results never match the original. Worse, they are disappearing. People in Okinawa, for example, who used to be among the longest-lived, now bulk up on KFC, have huge BMIs and are among the shortest-lived in Japan. They are no longer a model for anyone. There are other clues: cars in the driveways, satellite dishes, processed foods – pretty much anything Western reduces the chances of extended life for a society that had figured it out centuries ago.
In the supposed sciences, he shows that the fanatic focus on antioxidants is all wrong. That the studies show people who take antioxidants to improve strength and prevent age-related diseases actually die younger. The body knows how to handle free radicals. Antioxidant supplements get in the way.
On the other hand, hormesis, the recovery from physical strain, does have age-related disease effects that would benefit everyone. The way to access them is physical stress, aka strenuous exercise. That is what helps mitochondria decide to stay alive and help sweep away dead cells (autophagy). And the free radicals produced by the stress, prove to be valuable, and not something to take antioxidants to eliminate. There is a reason for everything in living things.
Getting molecular, Brendborg discusses several natural chemicals that definitely increase lifespan. Spermidine promotes autophagy, the cleaning up of dead molecules and remnants. It thereby improves heart health, and lessens cardiovascular disease. This is pretty central to lowering the death rate, as cardiovascular diseases remain solidly in first place. In mice, spermidine demonstrably prolongs life, even when initiated later in life. Humans make it naturally, but it decreases with age, as therefore obviously, does autophagy. Spermidine cannot be made into a convenient oral supplement (so beware) but plenty of foods contain it, from soybeans to cauliflower to corn to adzuki and sunflower seeds.
Another molecule readers might not know of is urolithin A. This one not only cleans up dead and dying mitochondria, but promotes the health of mitochondria, the engine of muscles. It even encourages mitochondria to divide, increasing muscle mass. Elliagitannins promote urolithin A, and they can be had from pomegranates, walnuts and raspberries. Certain gut bacteria then convert them into urolithin A. This is an example of both how little we know and understand about how the body works, and how complex every process is. Pills don’t do it.
That is, there are no silver bullets. Taking 40 supplements daily will not work. Most will do no harm, at least. But even something as common as iron supplements can increase the severity of diseases, and promote the risk of bacterial infections and malaria in children, Brendborg says. The bottom line with supplements is that most people should steer clear. Not only have they been proven not to work, but numerous studies continually find them a ripoff, containing little or none of the vitamins and minerals promised on the label. They can be counted on reliably as placebos, but that’s about it.
Brendborg has a great deal to say about telomeres, the end caps of DNA strands. Long ones imply long life ahead, while short ones mean approaching death. Extending them is therefore a hot business. However, (and this comes up again and again throughout the book) extending the telomeres by turning on the telomerase enzyme can cause cancer and death. So many wonderful life-enhancing discoveries end in cancer and death when Man applies them instead of our own bodies doing it.
A Japanese scientist has a found a way to turn old cells back into pluripotent stem cells, giving them an effective age of zero. Cellular reprogramming attempts to control this process so that the whole body doesn’t just disintegrate and start over. A jellyfish from the book’s title has figured this out, and could potentially live forever. But being a jellyfish, it usually gets eaten instead. Meanwhile, and once again, cellular reprogramming by doctors can result in a fearsome cancer called teratoma. This cancer is so ugly, Brendborg says, it grows hair on itself and has been found to grow teeth inside, grinding away — something to be avoided at all cost.
Nonetheless, cellular reprogramming holds great promise. It is probably what Man will ultimately employ to stay young. But it will require precision application and constant monitoring, and we are nowhere near that stage. It reminds me of the nuclear fusion story. It’s the obvious answer to our energy problems, and it can be shown to work, but it is always a decade or two away and never gets closer.
For a long while, there was a theory floating around that young blood was the answer to ageing and Alzheimer’s disease. So a study was done to see what improvements could be measured with young blood in older people with dementia, and the result was, as so often, nothing.
But then, it has also been discovered that blood donors, as opposed to transfusion recipients, live measurably longer. Forcing the body to produce more blood is a stressor, hormesis again, and the result is the body marshaling its forces to overcome the sudden deficit of blood. This keeps the body vibrant. It is frightening to think that barber shops, where men could be bled into a pan for their health, were actually doing the right thing 350 years ago.
Another great point Brendborg makes concerns microbes. While many think they can extend their lives and their health based purely on taking supplements, it is microbes that do the real damage: “Microbes influence the development of every single age-related disease that plagues us.” They are everywhere, in and on humans as well as everything else on the planet. Extending life by eliminating age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s are doomed to fail unless they account for the influence of microbes, and not just the symptoms seen in patients.
There is a valuable assessment of the very fashionable calorie restriction fad, through which numerous animals have extended their lives by being starved. It’s hormesis again, as their bodies fight to thrive in adverse conditions. It is feasible in humans too, but they will have to weigh a lifetime of deprivation and hunger against an extra couple of years in their late 90s. Brendborg says not for him.
Context is big factor. Studies have looked at the longevity of vegans vs vegetarians and found no difference in life expectancy. Because both have committed to a new and different lifestyle. They both tend to be better educated, wealthier and exercise a lot more. Their food intake is not what differentiates them. Brendborg has found this again and again. The better educated live longer because they apply their constant search for knowledge. The actual details of what they do differently matters less than the bigger picture of consciously working and adapting for a longer life. That, and most of their success can be directly attributed to exercise regimens, he says.
There are several lessons from this book. It is best not to tamper with proven systems, and while some new things actually do work in a small way, they are generally not worth the torturous change in lifestyle (and expense) they require. By far the biggest bang for the buck is strenuous exercise. It tells the organism directly that it and all its component parts are still needed and need to be kept up. This provably works, and better than just about everything else put together. It requires variety: steady state, interval and weightlifting. He also suggests mild exercise after eating – even just taking a walk — to counteract the sugar shock the body deals with every time we eat. That would be taking good advantage of the systems already in place. And underutilized.
This is the first US edition of a number one international best seller. It quickly proves its worth for readers, and maintains a fast and entertaining pace as it straightens out the facts. Jellyfish Age Backwards is a book that can settle arguments.
David Wineberg
If you liked this review, I invite you to read more in my book The Straight Dope. It’s an essay collection based on my first thousand reviews and what I learned. Right now it’s FREE for Prime members, otherwise — cheap! Reputed to be fascinating and a superfast read. And you already know it is well-written. https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Dope-...
Brendborg, a Danish molecular biologist by trade, collects facts, figures and anecdotes, and balances them against each other and against science. His book first examines everything but humans. He shows how various creatures extend their lives, and have the equipment to do so. He then spends the rest of the time among mice and men, looking at diet, lifestyle, supplements, medicines and attitudes. Everything has something to contribute, and lots to be wary of.
At all times, he is friendly, with a terrific bedside manner, the occasional attempt at a joke, and an independence that allows him to say this or that will not work or might even kill you instead. He is not pushing a new diet book or a new pill or a new online course. He is not looking for patients or political influence in the healthcare industry. He is just reporting the state of the art. A breath of fresh air.
He examines bees (workers vs queens), flatworms and the female octopus, all of which have been studied to determine the secrets of their differing lifespans. Bees, for example determine their lifespans by their roles. There is even much to learn about health and longevity from the naked mole-rat. Birds are relatively long-lived because they can fly away from threats. Smaller beings typically live longer, even when they are smaller versions of larger species (eg women vs men). Brendborg fills in readers on the why, and whether we could leverage this knowledge for longer lives for all mankind.
There have been communities of extremely long-lived people. Hucksters have leveraged their traditional diets into books and food delivery services, but the results never match the original. Worse, they are disappearing. People in Okinawa, for example, who used to be among the longest-lived, now bulk up on KFC, have huge BMIs and are among the shortest-lived in Japan. They are no longer a model for anyone. There are other clues: cars in the driveways, satellite dishes, processed foods – pretty much anything Western reduces the chances of extended life for a society that had figured it out centuries ago.
In the supposed sciences, he shows that the fanatic focus on antioxidants is all wrong. That the studies show people who take antioxidants to improve strength and prevent age-related diseases actually die younger. The body knows how to handle free radicals. Antioxidant supplements get in the way.
On the other hand, hormesis, the recovery from physical strain, does have age-related disease effects that would benefit everyone. The way to access them is physical stress, aka strenuous exercise. That is what helps mitochondria decide to stay alive and help sweep away dead cells (autophagy). And the free radicals produced by the stress, prove to be valuable, and not something to take antioxidants to eliminate. There is a reason for everything in living things.
Getting molecular, Brendborg discusses several natural chemicals that definitely increase lifespan. Spermidine promotes autophagy, the cleaning up of dead molecules and remnants. It thereby improves heart health, and lessens cardiovascular disease. This is pretty central to lowering the death rate, as cardiovascular diseases remain solidly in first place. In mice, spermidine demonstrably prolongs life, even when initiated later in life. Humans make it naturally, but it decreases with age, as therefore obviously, does autophagy. Spermidine cannot be made into a convenient oral supplement (so beware) but plenty of foods contain it, from soybeans to cauliflower to corn to adzuki and sunflower seeds.
Another molecule readers might not know of is urolithin A. This one not only cleans up dead and dying mitochondria, but promotes the health of mitochondria, the engine of muscles. It even encourages mitochondria to divide, increasing muscle mass. Elliagitannins promote urolithin A, and they can be had from pomegranates, walnuts and raspberries. Certain gut bacteria then convert them into urolithin A. This is an example of both how little we know and understand about how the body works, and how complex every process is. Pills don’t do it.
That is, there are no silver bullets. Taking 40 supplements daily will not work. Most will do no harm, at least. But even something as common as iron supplements can increase the severity of diseases, and promote the risk of bacterial infections and malaria in children, Brendborg says. The bottom line with supplements is that most people should steer clear. Not only have they been proven not to work, but numerous studies continually find them a ripoff, containing little or none of the vitamins and minerals promised on the label. They can be counted on reliably as placebos, but that’s about it.
Brendborg has a great deal to say about telomeres, the end caps of DNA strands. Long ones imply long life ahead, while short ones mean approaching death. Extending them is therefore a hot business. However, (and this comes up again and again throughout the book) extending the telomeres by turning on the telomerase enzyme can cause cancer and death. So many wonderful life-enhancing discoveries end in cancer and death when Man applies them instead of our own bodies doing it.
A Japanese scientist has a found a way to turn old cells back into pluripotent stem cells, giving them an effective age of zero. Cellular reprogramming attempts to control this process so that the whole body doesn’t just disintegrate and start over. A jellyfish from the book’s title has figured this out, and could potentially live forever. But being a jellyfish, it usually gets eaten instead. Meanwhile, and once again, cellular reprogramming by doctors can result in a fearsome cancer called teratoma. This cancer is so ugly, Brendborg says, it grows hair on itself and has been found to grow teeth inside, grinding away — something to be avoided at all cost.
Nonetheless, cellular reprogramming holds great promise. It is probably what Man will ultimately employ to stay young. But it will require precision application and constant monitoring, and we are nowhere near that stage. It reminds me of the nuclear fusion story. It’s the obvious answer to our energy problems, and it can be shown to work, but it is always a decade or two away and never gets closer.
For a long while, there was a theory floating around that young blood was the answer to ageing and Alzheimer’s disease. So a study was done to see what improvements could be measured with young blood in older people with dementia, and the result was, as so often, nothing.
But then, it has also been discovered that blood donors, as opposed to transfusion recipients, live measurably longer. Forcing the body to produce more blood is a stressor, hormesis again, and the result is the body marshaling its forces to overcome the sudden deficit of blood. This keeps the body vibrant. It is frightening to think that barber shops, where men could be bled into a pan for their health, were actually doing the right thing 350 years ago.
Another great point Brendborg makes concerns microbes. While many think they can extend their lives and their health based purely on taking supplements, it is microbes that do the real damage: “Microbes influence the development of every single age-related disease that plagues us.” They are everywhere, in and on humans as well as everything else on the planet. Extending life by eliminating age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s are doomed to fail unless they account for the influence of microbes, and not just the symptoms seen in patients.
There is a valuable assessment of the very fashionable calorie restriction fad, through which numerous animals have extended their lives by being starved. It’s hormesis again, as their bodies fight to thrive in adverse conditions. It is feasible in humans too, but they will have to weigh a lifetime of deprivation and hunger against an extra couple of years in their late 90s. Brendborg says not for him.
Context is big factor. Studies have looked at the longevity of vegans vs vegetarians and found no difference in life expectancy. Because both have committed to a new and different lifestyle. They both tend to be better educated, wealthier and exercise a lot more. Their food intake is not what differentiates them. Brendborg has found this again and again. The better educated live longer because they apply their constant search for knowledge. The actual details of what they do differently matters less than the bigger picture of consciously working and adapting for a longer life. That, and most of their success can be directly attributed to exercise regimens, he says.
There are several lessons from this book. It is best not to tamper with proven systems, and while some new things actually do work in a small way, they are generally not worth the torturous change in lifestyle (and expense) they require. By far the biggest bang for the buck is strenuous exercise. It tells the organism directly that it and all its component parts are still needed and need to be kept up. This provably works, and better than just about everything else put together. It requires variety: steady state, interval and weightlifting. He also suggests mild exercise after eating – even just taking a walk — to counteract the sugar shock the body deals with every time we eat. That would be taking good advantage of the systems already in place. And underutilized.
This is the first US edition of a number one international best seller. It quickly proves its worth for readers, and maintains a fast and entertaining pace as it straightens out the facts. Jellyfish Age Backwards is a book that can settle arguments.
David Wineberg
If you liked this review, I invite you to read more in my book The Straight Dope. It’s an essay collection based on my first thousand reviews and what I learned. Right now it’s FREE for Prime members, otherwise — cheap! Reputed to be fascinating and a superfast read. And you already know it is well-written. https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Dope-...
December 26, 2022
Thank you NetGaley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 stars, generously rounded up because the author is a young scientist who decided to reach out to a lay audience during his PhD studies, and we need more people like him. However, we also need better organized scientific books for the general audience. Because while the title was an excellent hook, and the opening of the book was very intriguing, the following chapters were not clearly organized and they failed to expand much on general advice that's already easily available on most youtube channels and blogs created by experienced medical providers.
I was disappointed the author didn't take more time to define aging at a molecular level and clarify the risks inherent to circumventing aging mechanisms: most of the time we risk cancer. Sure, this was mentioned, but so quickly it's almost in passing. There was also unhealthy enthusiasm for presenting correlative studies with insufficient critical analysis. For e.g.: In the chapter "Mind over matter" the author discusses the placebo effect and mentions that people who drank a low-sugar drink experienced a spike in their blood sugar levels if they were told they drank a high-sugar drink; my question is, did the study address the possibility that the spike in blood sugar levels was caused by stress? Most people know that high-sugar drinks are unhealthy and if they experience any rise in stress hormone levels that easily explains the rising blood sugar levels. There was also a lot of talk about how viruses and bacteria cause cancer, but they are not the reason for the majority of cancers. Most cancer types are caused by bad luck (such as an accidental pro-cancerous mutation following a lot of cell divisions, or being born with a gene having a mutation or series of mutations predisposing one to cancers); second most common reason for cancers are environmental factors such as high exposure to UV and ionizing radiation, exposure to certain chemicals and infection with tumorigenic viruses and bacteria. When such examples were appropriate, the author forgot to mention (or was unaware of) the whole story. For example: yes, certain H pylori strains increase the risk of stomach cancer, but if you aggressively treat against the bacteria you increase the risk of esophageal cancer, There is increasing evidence that the stomach is normally colonized by bacteria, including H. pylori, and that removing anything except the strains that can cause cancer, or treating in the absence of symptoms, is likely to cause different problems.
The reality is that aging is complicated, The book ended up being a collection of fun facts but stuck in the end to the old, trusted and known: to prolong your life exercise, eat lots of fruits and veggies, keep your morale up; and maybe you will live long enough until you can pop a pill to live longer. Despite the engaging title, there was almost no discussion about aging in other animals. The jellyfish that ages backward? The molecular mechanisms allowing that are not discussed in the book, As a former cancer researcher now involved in cancer treatment management via my medical writer job, I learned very little new things from this book. And I was also stressing out a lot in the second half of the book about how much the author jumped around, without a clear backbone to the structure. Perhaps a lay audience interested in fun facts about aging will find it more engaging than I did.
2.5 stars, generously rounded up because the author is a young scientist who decided to reach out to a lay audience during his PhD studies, and we need more people like him. However, we also need better organized scientific books for the general audience. Because while the title was an excellent hook, and the opening of the book was very intriguing, the following chapters were not clearly organized and they failed to expand much on general advice that's already easily available on most youtube channels and blogs created by experienced medical providers.
I was disappointed the author didn't take more time to define aging at a molecular level and clarify the risks inherent to circumventing aging mechanisms: most of the time we risk cancer. Sure, this was mentioned, but so quickly it's almost in passing. There was also unhealthy enthusiasm for presenting correlative studies with insufficient critical analysis. For e.g.: In the chapter "Mind over matter" the author discusses the placebo effect and mentions that people who drank a low-sugar drink experienced a spike in their blood sugar levels if they were told they drank a high-sugar drink; my question is, did the study address the possibility that the spike in blood sugar levels was caused by stress? Most people know that high-sugar drinks are unhealthy and if they experience any rise in stress hormone levels that easily explains the rising blood sugar levels. There was also a lot of talk about how viruses and bacteria cause cancer, but they are not the reason for the majority of cancers. Most cancer types are caused by bad luck (such as an accidental pro-cancerous mutation following a lot of cell divisions, or being born with a gene having a mutation or series of mutations predisposing one to cancers); second most common reason for cancers are environmental factors such as high exposure to UV and ionizing radiation, exposure to certain chemicals and infection with tumorigenic viruses and bacteria. When such examples were appropriate, the author forgot to mention (or was unaware of) the whole story. For example: yes, certain H pylori strains increase the risk of stomach cancer, but if you aggressively treat against the bacteria you increase the risk of esophageal cancer, There is increasing evidence that the stomach is normally colonized by bacteria, including H. pylori, and that removing anything except the strains that can cause cancer, or treating in the absence of symptoms, is likely to cause different problems.
The reality is that aging is complicated, The book ended up being a collection of fun facts but stuck in the end to the old, trusted and known: to prolong your life exercise, eat lots of fruits and veggies, keep your morale up; and maybe you will live long enough until you can pop a pill to live longer. Despite the engaging title, there was almost no discussion about aging in other animals. The jellyfish that ages backward? The molecular mechanisms allowing that are not discussed in the book, As a former cancer researcher now involved in cancer treatment management via my medical writer job, I learned very little new things from this book. And I was also stressing out a lot in the second half of the book about how much the author jumped around, without a clear backbone to the structure. Perhaps a lay audience interested in fun facts about aging will find it more engaging than I did.
July 2, 2022
Nicklas Brendborg hat ein gut lesbares und informatives Sachbuch rund um die biologischen Prozesse der Alterung geschrieben. Dabei hat er sein Buch in drei Oberkapitel unterteilt:
Im ersten Teil geht es um Wunder der Natur. Hier beschreibt er Lebewesen, die einen Altersrekord aufgestellt haben, zB Bäume oder die am längsten lebenden Säugetiere, und verschiedene Bedingungen, die anscheinend zu einem langen Leben beitragen, zB das Leben der Menschen in den sogenannten Blue Zones.
Im zweiten Teil beschäftigt er sich mit den Entdeckungen der Forschung, zB der Möglichkeit das biologische Alter an "Todesuhr" genannten Biomarkern in der Zelle ablesen zu können. Brendborg geht auch auf die Ursachen dafür ein, welche Rolle also die Gene, Medikamente oder biologische Prozesse dabei spielen können. Im Fokus stehen immer die Mechanismen, die für ein längeres Leben sorgen und wie sie akitiviert beziehungsweise verstärkt werden können und welche Erkenntisse Forschende in aller Welt anhand von Experimenten an insbesondere Mäusen erlangt haben.
Im dritten Teil geht es darum, was wir selber tun können, um länger und gesünder zu leben. Hier stehen vor allem die Ernährung und Sport im Mittelpunkt.
Insgesamt habe ich das Buch sehr gerne gelesen, es war amüsant und unterhaltsam geschrieben und man konnte Brendborgs ausführungen einfach folgen. An einigen Stellen hätte ich mir allerdings eine Vertiefung gewünscht und bisweilen schien sich der Autor auch an einigen Stellen selbst zu widersprechen, zB wenn es hieß, dass eine vegane Ernährung nicht zur Lebensverlängerung beitragen würde, an einer anderen Stelle aber die besondere Bedeutung und der große Effekt einer hohen Ballasstoffzufuhr betont wurde. Veganer nehmen im Schnitt deutlich mehr Ballaststoffe zu sich als Mischköstler. Hier wäre es schön gewesen, wenn er diese Stellen aufeinander bezogen hätte, bzw tiefgehender erläutert hätte.
Wer schon Bücher wie "How not to die" von Dr. Greger gelesen hat, dem werden viele Aspekte bekannt, aber verkürzt vorkommen. Das Buch ist also meiner Meinung nach besonders für Menschen geeignet, die sich mit dem Thema noch nie oder nur wenig auseinandergesetzt haben, oder die ihre Kenntnisse ein bisschen auffrischen wollen.
Im ersten Teil geht es um Wunder der Natur. Hier beschreibt er Lebewesen, die einen Altersrekord aufgestellt haben, zB Bäume oder die am längsten lebenden Säugetiere, und verschiedene Bedingungen, die anscheinend zu einem langen Leben beitragen, zB das Leben der Menschen in den sogenannten Blue Zones.
Im zweiten Teil beschäftigt er sich mit den Entdeckungen der Forschung, zB der Möglichkeit das biologische Alter an "Todesuhr" genannten Biomarkern in der Zelle ablesen zu können. Brendborg geht auch auf die Ursachen dafür ein, welche Rolle also die Gene, Medikamente oder biologische Prozesse dabei spielen können. Im Fokus stehen immer die Mechanismen, die für ein längeres Leben sorgen und wie sie akitiviert beziehungsweise verstärkt werden können und welche Erkenntisse Forschende in aller Welt anhand von Experimenten an insbesondere Mäusen erlangt haben.
Im dritten Teil geht es darum, was wir selber tun können, um länger und gesünder zu leben. Hier stehen vor allem die Ernährung und Sport im Mittelpunkt.
Insgesamt habe ich das Buch sehr gerne gelesen, es war amüsant und unterhaltsam geschrieben und man konnte Brendborgs ausführungen einfach folgen. An einigen Stellen hätte ich mir allerdings eine Vertiefung gewünscht und bisweilen schien sich der Autor auch an einigen Stellen selbst zu widersprechen, zB wenn es hieß, dass eine vegane Ernährung nicht zur Lebensverlängerung beitragen würde, an einer anderen Stelle aber die besondere Bedeutung und der große Effekt einer hohen Ballasstoffzufuhr betont wurde. Veganer nehmen im Schnitt deutlich mehr Ballaststoffe zu sich als Mischköstler. Hier wäre es schön gewesen, wenn er diese Stellen aufeinander bezogen hätte, bzw tiefgehender erläutert hätte.
Wer schon Bücher wie "How not to die" von Dr. Greger gelesen hat, dem werden viele Aspekte bekannt, aber verkürzt vorkommen. Das Buch ist also meiner Meinung nach besonders für Menschen geeignet, die sich mit dem Thema noch nie oder nur wenig auseinandergesetzt haben, oder die ihre Kenntnisse ein bisschen auffrischen wollen.
June 3, 2024
Bardzo ciekawa książka z lekkimi humorystycznymi wstawkami. Takimi wiecie, wywołującymi uśmiech lekkiego rozbawienia a nie przewracanie oczami. Dużo ciekawych informacji, ale podanych w dosyć lekkim stylu.
Autor zaczął od przykładów w faunie i florze, by potem przejść do ludzkiego ciała i milionów elementów na nie się składających.
Jedyne, co mi się nie podobało, to to, że trzeba czytać tę książkę ze sporym filtrem, bo autor lubi pisać, że to nie ma sensu, tamto nic nie daje i potem wychodzi na to, że suplementowanie witamin jest bez sensu, bo po co.
Autor zaczął od przykładów w faunie i florze, by potem przejść do ludzkiego ciała i milionów elementów na nie się składających.
Jedyne, co mi się nie podobało, to to, że trzeba czytać tę książkę ze sporym filtrem, bo autor lubi pisać, że to nie ma sensu, tamto nic nie daje i potem wychodzi na to, że suplementowanie witamin jest bez sensu, bo po co.
June 15, 2024
How to live longer:
1) floss
2) eat foods high in zinc
3) eat dietary fiber
4) eat garlic
5) exercise
6) stop bad habits (smoking, drinking, etc.)
7) eat whole foods
8) lose weight
9) have a good support network of friends/family. Loneliness is worse than obesity.
Most of these things we all know or suspect or ignore (I'm NOT looking at you exercise, NOPE.), but I find it funny that he never ONCE mentioned sleep.
I think sleep is one of THE most important things in life. It helps one to recover and driving while tired is the same legally as driving under the influence. And if I don't get the sleep I need, I am GRUMPY and feel like I'm going to keel over.
My personal, non-scientific beliefs aside, I have read and heard from multiple sources (that aren't all the internets), that sleep is one of the key components of a healthy life, if not for living longer.
So. While this book isn't trying to sell the reader snake oil, it is most certainly not complete.
The production level on this audio book was better than most. I didn't have to fiddle with the volume as much as I have to for other books. The narrator also had an amazing English accent, so it was soothing to listen to, but not in a sleep-inducing way.
Honestly, without the production and the narrator's voice, this would have been a two star book. I'm that irked with the lack of sleep being mentioned in it. I also didn't learn much that was new, other than to hear about the science experiments that led to the above list and some interesting ways animals age, or don't.
Warning: you will hear about how lab rats and other science experimental animals get treated and it's not pretty. It's not graphic, but if you have an imagination, it doesn't need to be graphic.
3, not a bad book but not complete, stars.
My thanks to libro.fm and Hachette Audio for an ALC of this book to listen to and review.
1) floss
2) eat foods high in zinc
3) eat dietary fiber
4) eat garlic
5) exercise
6) stop bad habits (smoking, drinking, etc.)
7) eat whole foods
8) lose weight
9) have a good support network of friends/family. Loneliness is worse than obesity.
Most of these things we all know or suspect or ignore (I'm NOT looking at you exercise, NOPE.), but I find it funny that he never ONCE mentioned sleep.
I think sleep is one of THE most important things in life. It helps one to recover and driving while tired is the same legally as driving under the influence. And if I don't get the sleep I need, I am GRUMPY and feel like I'm going to keel over.
My personal, non-scientific beliefs aside, I have read and heard from multiple sources (that aren't all the internets), that sleep is one of the key components of a healthy life, if not for living longer.
So. While this book isn't trying to sell the reader snake oil, it is most certainly not complete.
The production level on this audio book was better than most. I didn't have to fiddle with the volume as much as I have to for other books. The narrator also had an amazing English accent, so it was soothing to listen to, but not in a sleep-inducing way.
Honestly, without the production and the narrator's voice, this would have been a two star book. I'm that irked with the lack of sleep being mentioned in it. I also didn't learn much that was new, other than to hear about the science experiments that led to the above list and some interesting ways animals age, or don't.
Warning: you will hear about how lab rats and other science experimental animals get treated and it's not pretty. It's not graphic, but if you have an imagination, it doesn't need to be graphic.
3, not a bad book but not complete, stars.
My thanks to libro.fm and Hachette Audio for an ALC of this book to listen to and review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2023
O carte cu informații foarte interesante care nu te vor face nemuritor dar care aduc detalii din diverse studii realizate pe substanțe, organisme, gene și obiceiuri ce ajută la o înțelegere mai bună a întregului proces de îmbătrânire.
Lumea se concentrează tot mai mult pe găsirea unor soluții minune care să ne ofere mai mult timp și rezultatele sunt bune până acum însă nu complete.
Foarte bine structurată și povestită!
Lumea se concentrează tot mai mult pe găsirea unor soluții minune care să ne ofere mai mult timp și rezultatele sunt bune până acum însă nu complete.
Foarte bine structurată și povestită!
August 30, 2021
Kæmpe anbefaling herfra. Nicklas Brendborg er forskningens svar på Beyoncé 🔥
July 23, 2022
Jellyfish Age Backwards is an easy-to-read book about the fight against ageing. It is inspired by some of the weirder examples from nature where ageing does not apply in the conventional way, such as the eponymous jellyfish, but it is mainly about the quest to combat ageing in humans.
Nicklas Brendborg writes in a very fluid style that makes it easy to follow and maintains the reader's interest, and the text is not flooded with footnotes (although there are extensive references at the end of the book if you are that way inclined). He isn't trying to sell any products, make any claims, or lecture about how you should look after yourself, he's just explaining mainly where research into the fight has got to. He does have a few suggestions on how you might eke out a few extra years, but that's all they are.
Nicklas Brendborg writes in a very fluid style that makes it easy to follow and maintains the reader's interest, and the text is not flooded with footnotes (although there are extensive references at the end of the book if you are that way inclined). He isn't trying to sell any products, make any claims, or lecture about how you should look after yourself, he's just explaining mainly where research into the fight has got to. He does have a few suggestions on how you might eke out a few extra years, but that's all they are.
October 26, 2022
Das Thema interessiert mich einfach sehr, daher kam mir das Buch als Hörbuch genau gelegen 😇 mir hat vor allem die Bandbreite an Themen gefallen, wer sich schon grundlegend mit Ernährung, Biologie Basics oder dem tatsächlichen Altern auseinandergesetzt hat wird hier sicherlich noch gutes Zusatzwissen rund um das Älterwerden und unsere Zellen finden 🧬
August 9, 2024
An audiobook read to help with my goodreads goal (it counts…)
March 15, 2025
一本小書，本來是想買來看看自然界與動物方面的議題，結果沒想到整本書絕大部分情況都是真的在認真講人體跟老化……但因為很科學也很清晰，雖然我沒有生物學基礎，但還是看完了。
March 18, 2022
"den her lille biologi ting kan være hemmeligheden til at leve for evigt, men ikke prøv og spise den fordi vi har kun testet den på rotter" gange 20
Udover det et par fine fun facts
Udover det et par fine fun facts
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2025
From Alexander the Great to Columbus and the crusaders, history is teaching us that humanity is always in search of a fountain of youth and the source of immortality. “Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature’s Secrets to Longevity”, by Nicklas Brendborg, is an interesting exploration of aging and the quest of immortality. The author uses various scientific data and publications to speak about nature, humans and cutting edge discoveries related to the subject. The writing is simple and the result is a book that will expand your horizons on what you already know (if you already know anything) about longevity.
This is a book about aging and the search of extending our lifespan. Elixirs and sources of immortality. Our longing to uncover the secrets of a long life and understand better the process of aging. A story about nature’s wonders, from sharks to turtles, bacteria to lobsters and whales to jellyfish. About different aging trajectories and biological limits. Blue zones where the inhabitants have great lifespan and become centenarians. The influence of hereditary and environmental factors in prolonging life. The connection of longevity with the immune system and hormonal signaling. The disadvantages of living a prolonged life and examples of diseases caused by aging. The fact that whatever kind of improvement we have made in the science of aging, death remains the only certainty. The idea of hormesis and the biology of longevity related to rapamycin, mTOR, autophagy and telomeres. A book about cellular reprogramming and the damaging effect of free radicals and iron deposition on aging. Infections and epigenetic clocks. How we can reverse aging by rejuvenating our immune system and how calorie restriction and fasting prolong life. The effect of a healthy diet, exercising and social relationships in pursuing an increased lifespan and the power of placebo and nocebo effects in living longer.
It is 3-3.5/5 for me!
Why should you read “Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature’s Secrets to Longevity”?
Because you will realize that the question of why we age and whether we can do something about it exists since the first human appeared on earth.
Because you will learn that size does matter when it comes to a long life as there is a connection between the size of an organism and its lifespan.
Because you will find out that microbes influence the development of every single age-related disease by altering everything that plays a role in the aging process.
Because you will acknowledge that research on aging is still in its infancy and we are still far from understanding the genetics of longevity.
Because you will learn some tricks on how to die young as late as possible.
Favorite quotes:
“You’re not just a person, but an entire ecosystem of living things”.
This is a book about aging and the search of extending our lifespan. Elixirs and sources of immortality. Our longing to uncover the secrets of a long life and understand better the process of aging. A story about nature’s wonders, from sharks to turtles, bacteria to lobsters and whales to jellyfish. About different aging trajectories and biological limits. Blue zones where the inhabitants have great lifespan and become centenarians. The influence of hereditary and environmental factors in prolonging life. The connection of longevity with the immune system and hormonal signaling. The disadvantages of living a prolonged life and examples of diseases caused by aging. The fact that whatever kind of improvement we have made in the science of aging, death remains the only certainty. The idea of hormesis and the biology of longevity related to rapamycin, mTOR, autophagy and telomeres. A book about cellular reprogramming and the damaging effect of free radicals and iron deposition on aging. Infections and epigenetic clocks. How we can reverse aging by rejuvenating our immune system and how calorie restriction and fasting prolong life. The effect of a healthy diet, exercising and social relationships in pursuing an increased lifespan and the power of placebo and nocebo effects in living longer.
It is 3-3.5/5 for me!
Why should you read “Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature’s Secrets to Longevity”?
Because you will realize that the question of why we age and whether we can do something about it exists since the first human appeared on earth.
Because you will learn that size does matter when it comes to a long life as there is a connection between the size of an organism and its lifespan.
Because you will find out that microbes influence the development of every single age-related disease by altering everything that plays a role in the aging process.
Because you will acknowledge that research on aging is still in its infancy and we are still far from understanding the genetics of longevity.
Because you will learn some tricks on how to die young as late as possible.
Favorite quotes:
“You’re not just a person, but an entire ecosystem of living things”.
Read
March 10, 2023Interessant lytning. En gang imellem havde jeg svært ved at følge med i alle fagtermerne, men det var måske også, fordi jeg slugte bogen på 2 dage.
April 23, 2022
Velskrevet og underholdende bog om aldringens gåde. Fyldt med spændende info om biologi og krop.
Desværre sad jeg tilbage med en underlig hul fornemmelse efter at have læst den. Jeg er klar over, at det ikke er naturvidenskabens opgave at spørge "hvorfor", men "hvordan" (Hvordan virker aldersmekanismerne? Hvordan kan vi bremse dem?). Alligevel mangler jeg refleksion over, hvorfor vi skal forsøge at forsinke - eller måske ligefrem standse - menneskets aldring. Hvorfor og med hvilke konsekvenser? Brendborg pointerer selv i bogen, at naturen har taget millioner af år om at afstemme alting i en fin balance, og når vi rykker ved én ting, så rykker vi også ved noget andet. Trods det taler han om manipulation af biologiske mekanismer med fremtidig medicin. Han skriver også, at naturens "mening"/"drive" er forplantning/næste generation. Hvis vi lever længere - måske en dag uendeligt - bliver der kun begrænset behov for kommende generationer. Vi piller altså ved selve naturens "natur"; at generationerne naturligt afløser hinanden.
Bogen er altså fyldt med masser af interessant biologisk info, men ingen refleksion over emnet.
Desværre sad jeg tilbage med en underlig hul fornemmelse efter at have læst den. Jeg er klar over, at det ikke er naturvidenskabens opgave at spørge "hvorfor", men "hvordan" (Hvordan virker aldersmekanismerne? Hvordan kan vi bremse dem?). Alligevel mangler jeg refleksion over, hvorfor vi skal forsøge at forsinke - eller måske ligefrem standse - menneskets aldring. Hvorfor og med hvilke konsekvenser? Brendborg pointerer selv i bogen, at naturen har taget millioner af år om at afstemme alting i en fin balance, og når vi rykker ved én ting, så rykker vi også ved noget andet. Trods det taler han om manipulation af biologiske mekanismer med fremtidig medicin. Han skriver også, at naturens "mening"/"drive" er forplantning/næste generation. Hvis vi lever længere - måske en dag uendeligt - bliver der kun begrænset behov for kommende generationer. Vi piller altså ved selve naturens "natur"; at generationerne naturligt afløser hinanden.
Bogen er altså fyldt med masser af interessant biologisk info, men ingen refleksion over emnet.
October 3, 2023
I am a geek for science books that are dumbed down *juuuust enough* for non-professional enthusiasts to understand.
I picked up this book even before knowing it was voted Times Book of the Year and I can safely say it deserves its title greatly.
I have immeeeense health anxiety as a person in general and I still managed to finish this book in approximately 3 weeks without getting triggered too many times. This was despite the constant mention of potential viral infections you wouldn't know how to avoid that may give you cancer or shorten your lifespan in the long run.
What I mean by that is that the book is written in a non-doomsday-like fashion and offers practical ways to approach what we do know about ageing for regular people.
The writing style is, for lack of a better word, friendly! It feels like your close friend is an ageing and life expectancy researcher and describing to you fascinating insights in an approachable way.
Fully recommend :)
I picked up this book even before knowing it was voted Times Book of the Year and I can safely say it deserves its title greatly.
I have immeeeense health anxiety as a person in general and I still managed to finish this book in approximately 3 weeks without getting triggered too many times. This was despite the constant mention of potential viral infections you wouldn't know how to avoid that may give you cancer or shorten your lifespan in the long run.
What I mean by that is that the book is written in a non-doomsday-like fashion and offers practical ways to approach what we do know about ageing for regular people.
The writing style is, for lack of a better word, friendly! It feels like your close friend is an ageing and life expectancy researcher and describing to you fascinating insights in an approachable way.
Fully recommend :)
November 26, 2021
Bogen er godt læst op af Torben Christensen. Diktionen er tydelig og klar selvom der er en pæn sjat af ord, der nok er nemmest at udtale, hvis man til daglig arbejder i det naturvidenskabelige forskningsmiljø.
Bogen er populærvidenskabelig og lykkes godt med den balance. Der er dybde i det faglige, men det opsumeres løbende med let-fordøjelige bidder og tilbageblik til tidligere nævnte ting; "Kan du huske.." "... og her er vores gamle ven XXXX igen...".
Det gør lytteoplevelsen let på trods af, at der strengt taget er tale om et ret tungt emne.
Lærer man så noget om, hvordan man bliver ældre? Ja, også selvom meget af informationen i virkeligheden er det vi kender i forvejen: Spis grønt, dyrk motion, få nok spermidin.
Og så viser det sig til sidst, at Mills Brothers havde ret: Be my life's companion and you'll never grow old (Ok, ikke never, men senere).
Bogen er populærvidenskabelig og lykkes godt med den balance. Der er dybde i det faglige, men det opsumeres løbende med let-fordøjelige bidder og tilbageblik til tidligere nævnte ting; "Kan du huske.." "... og her er vores gamle ven XXXX igen...".
Det gør lytteoplevelsen let på trods af, at der strengt taget er tale om et ret tungt emne.
Lærer man så noget om, hvordan man bliver ældre? Ja, også selvom meget af informationen i virkeligheden er det vi kender i forvejen: Spis grønt, dyrk motion, få nok spermidin.
Og så viser det sig til sidst, at Mills Brothers havde ret: Be my life's companion and you'll never grow old (Ok, ikke never, men senere).
April 1, 2024
No jo, většinou víme, že máme sportovat a nepřežírat se. Ale líbí se mi i postoj autora v tom, že například prodloužení života řekněme o 2-3 roky za cenu celoživotního hladovění, nebude asi pro čtenáře tak lákavé. Kniha je psaná populárně naučnou formou, takže se člověk neztrácí v nějakých cizích termínech apod. Možná je to ale na úkor hloubky ponoření do jednotlivých témat.
Každopádně je stravitelnou formou podáno, jakým směrem se vyvíjí trendy výzkumu stárnutí a délky života zejména s ohledem na použitelnost principů, "vyzkoumaných" zvířaty a jinými organismy, u lidského druhu.
Líbí se mi tento styl podání informací, našla jsem si tu pro sebe i něco nového, takže mohu doporučit. Stojí za to se alespoň nad popsanými skutečnostmi zamyslet.
Genetiku neovlivníme, ale spousta toho ještě upravit půjde...
Každopádně je stravitelnou formou podáno, jakým směrem se vyvíjí trendy výzkumu stárnutí a délky života zejména s ohledem na použitelnost principů, "vyzkoumaných" zvířaty a jinými organismy, u lidského druhu.
Líbí se mi tento styl podání informací, našla jsem si tu pro sebe i něco nového, takže mohu doporučit. Stojí za to se alespoň nad popsanými skutečnostmi zamyslet.
Genetiku neovlivníme, ale spousta toho ještě upravit půjde...
June 30, 2023
Huvitav ja hariv raamat inimkeha toimimisest, vananemisuuringutest ja sellest, mida teha, et elada pikemalt ja tervemalt. Hoolimata sellest, et jutt on teaduslik ja sisaldab palju mõisteid molekulaarbioloogiast, on seda siiski lihtne lugeda. Loomasõbrana oli kõiki neid laboriloomadega tehtud katseid siiski natuke jube lugeda, aga samas mõistan, et ega teadust muud moodi teha ka ei saa.
September 19, 2022
Ich habe sehr viel faszinierendes gelernt über das Altern, sei es bei Menschen, Tieren oder Pflanzen. Wirklich interessant geschrieben, easy erklärt und gut strukturiert. Hat mir gut gefallen und werde ich sicher irgendwann nochmal lesen, um mein Wissen dann nochmal aufzufrischen.
May 30, 2023
Really interesting, accessible and well written. Some of it made me a little nervous because I felt like it was starting to veer towards areas of toxic wellness and pseudoscience, but ultimately I feel like he was able to ground his points with data and avoid being hyperbolic about the information he was presenting.
I would like to read more of his writing.
I would like to read more of his writing.
June 17, 2024
Excellent summary of the science of senescence, or aging. What's new in geriatric research for humans and other organisms. Entertaining and enlightening. Debunks a lot of myths and old wives-tales.
January 29, 2023
Fin bog, hvor Brendborg beskriver en rækker cellulære mekanismer, der driver og påvirker aldring i forskellige organismer. Der er medtaget mange (kreative) analogier, som kan gøre biologien mere forståelige for personer uden en faglig baggrund indenfor dette felt.
January 7, 2024
4.5 / 5 stars
tw: animal cruelty/ medical content
"imagine if we could one day learn how these animals work their magic "
a deep-dive into the astonishing nature and true science of longevity. molecular biologist nicklas brenborg takes us on a journey on the mystery journey of what the world and science have to offer on aging. filled with mind-bending discoveries are sometimes far fetched thoughts, this books shows that we might be closer to immortality that one might think. 'can we truly live forever?'
i am back with another review on a science non fiction book! the secret and mysteries behind living a long life never interested me that much, until my classmate told me that she started reading this book. after diving into the summery, i came to the conclusion that this is a side of biology that actually do interest me. so, i went ahead and bought a copy of this book.
soon after, i started reading and annotating in it, and let me tell you: this book did not dissapoint. if you read some more of my reviews, you might have realised that i was slowly falling more and more in love with science non-fiction, and with good reasons! the mysterious art of immortality is no joke and at first glance sounds like a science fiction novel, but it is more than that. it is actually a lot closer than we realise, the only part is: every postive point has a double negative opposite to that. over the years, evolutions made out bodies way too complicated
if you want to start reading science non-fiction, i want to recommend this one. yes, there is science talk, but the author explains the terms clear and logically, with a spice of sarcasm. plus, the topic is really interesting :D
tw: animal cruelty/ medical content
"imagine if we could one day learn how these animals work their magic "
a deep-dive into the astonishing nature and true science of longevity. molecular biologist nicklas brenborg takes us on a journey on the mystery journey of what the world and science have to offer on aging. filled with mind-bending discoveries are sometimes far fetched thoughts, this books shows that we might be closer to immortality that one might think. 'can we truly live forever?'
i am back with another review on a science non fiction book! the secret and mysteries behind living a long life never interested me that much, until my classmate told me that she started reading this book. after diving into the summery, i came to the conclusion that this is a side of biology that actually do interest me. so, i went ahead and bought a copy of this book.
soon after, i started reading and annotating in it, and let me tell you: this book did not dissapoint. if you read some more of my reviews, you might have realised that i was slowly falling more and more in love with science non-fiction, and with good reasons! the mysterious art of immortality is no joke and at first glance sounds like a science fiction novel, but it is more than that. it is actually a lot closer than we realise, the only part is: every postive point has a double negative opposite to that. over the years, evolutions made out bodies way too complicated
if you want to start reading science non-fiction, i want to recommend this one. yes, there is science talk, but the author explains the terms clear and logically, with a spice of sarcasm. plus, the topic is really interesting :D
March 23, 2024
v good- would be 5 but the title is misleading. I think there was a single paragraph about jellyfish raging "backwards". Otherwise very good!!
July 14, 2024
Super ciekawa!
January 20, 2025
Ligesom efterfølgeren ‘Vanedyr’ er denne bog også virkelig interessant læsning. Hvis du vil vide, hvad der er godt at gøre, for at blive ældre (anti-aging) - så skal du læse denne bog 🙌🏼
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