[.ca] The Dream of Eternal Life: Biomedicine, Aging and ... (ISBN 0231116721)

Life, death and everything in between...:
Mark Benecke has immortalised himself in this most witty of forays into the popular biology of life and death. All the concepts in this book are well-clarified, and easily accessible to scientists and non-scientists alike. Dazzling in its detail while remaining true to the 'big picture' all the while, the narrative is almost like a cameraman zooming in and out to capture a panoramic landscape, looking at each issue from many angles. This is one of the many strengths of the book, making it well-rounded and non-biased on every level. The progression through basic cell and molecular biology to the concepts of life, death and immortality leads the reader in a satisfyingly logical order. From Dracula to Darwin, Gaia to genome, climate change to cryopreservation, this book is comprehensive enough to have it all. If you are human, and have an interest in life or death - read this book now!!

Life and death is shaped by cellular life and death:
Biomedicine, aging and immortality are considered in The Dream Of Eternal Life: Biomedicine, Aging, And Immortality, a title that discusses the biological fundamentals of why death happens and how modern biology can explain its functions. Life and death is shaped by cellular life and death, the author explains: chapters consider the possibility of extending life through treatments and other options.

Does Not Reflect Current Science:
I bought this book hoping that it would provide a decent overview of current work on anti-aging medicine. I was sorely disappointed. Benecke spends much of his time on popular culture, philosophical musings, and general health tips like vitamins and the effect of alcohol on heart disease. He does not cover the advances of the last 10 years in genetically engineering animals to live much much longer than the norm, using caloric restriction to extend life, the success of synthetic anti-oxidants in extending the lives of nematodes and fruit flies, or any other current scientific topic in anti-aging medicine.

DREAM ON!:
As a science writer, I've long been familiar with Dr. Benecke's cutting-edge work as a forensic entomologist. But it wasn't until I read The Dream of Eternal Life that I understood the good doctor's almost cult-like celebrity status in his native Deutschland. Not only does "Herr Maggot" turn up regularly on the front page of the German tabloids, some of his country's most talented writers and playwrights have been busy immortalizing the existential meaning of his undeniably gruesome forensic work (most famously, determining time of death by the insects found on murder victims). In The Dream, Benecke proves himself to be the ultimate philosopher-scientist, peering beyond the physicality of the life science to address the BIG questions: Why are we here? Why do we die? What gives it all meaning? A true renaissance man, Benecke also proves himself a knowledgeable and talented historian. In Dream, he traces the unfolding of our current understanding of life, evolution, and the powers that drive them. I especially enjoy his way with quotes--some of them obscure, but all of them enlightening. Among my favorites, in Chapter 1, Benecke ties together American biochemist Stanley Miller's famous recreation of the chemical precursors of life on Earth with German biologist Ernst Haeckel's earlier jest: "Condense away--soon enough, something will start crawling." As you may recall from high-school biology, that's pretty much what Miller did! Importantly, you don't HAVE to remember your high-school biology to follow Benecke's enjoyable text. Unlike the majority of scientists-turned-writers, he conscientiously explains the basics for the layperson. Those who come to the book with a science background will enjoy the rich context he weaves for familiar milestones in research. I only wish The Dream of Eternal Life was around when I was 19 and trying to figure out the "meaning of it all."

All men are mortal:
I have not read this book, but I did read some of the reviews of it here. The refusal of people in this society to face up to death is amazing. It is the root cause of the entire asinine culture that we enjoy. You mean that the fashionably dressed and perfectly coiffed young superstar is going to die? How uncool to suggest such a thing. And to look to science for eternal life is hilarious. The great joke of this society is that people lavish infinite care on themselves, exercising and dieting with religious devotion, but not one of them will get out alive. They can either look into the wisdom traditions for eternal life, or they can go on trying to diet and exercise enough to live forever.