Stealing Time: The New Science of Aging

By God, if it wasn't for PBS, my cocktail chitchat would suffer mightily. How's this for an icebreaker: "Did you know that aside from humans, one of the two other species which experience menopause is killer whales?" Pause. Sip vodka collins. Smile. Wait for response. Actually, scientists believe that there is a good reason for menopause, and like many other aspects of life in the animal kingdom, it's related to Darwin's theories concerning natural selection. Specifically, menopause allows a woman to shift her attentions from child-bearing (avg. time, 9 mos.) to child-rearing (avg. time, 29 years--actually, that's a joke...for some; for others it's a real nightmare). In this three-part series on the science behind the study of aging, the first volume looks at "The Quest for Immortality," focusing on cutting-edge research into the common traits of centenarians, turtles who don't show signs of aging, the differences between mainland opossums and an island possum population (less predators, less stress, slower aging process), and techniques for doubling the lifespan of fruit flies and nematodes (worms) through altering the reproductive cycle and genetic manipulation, respectively. Can the study of worms actually tell us something about human longevity? You bet; let us not forget that at one time worms and humans shared a common ancestor, and while humans have turned out to be the more complex of the two species (with the notable exception of Jerry Springer), the study of the nematode has helped us to understand that a few "master" genes may be responsible for many of the cellular instructions regarding aging. The other two videos in the series, "Turning Back the Clock" and "Mastering the Mind," examine research on slowing down the aging process and keeping the intellect going strong into our twilight years. Sure to be very popular, this top-notch series offer serious food for thought for students and adults...not to mention great party talk. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)