• Why We Die

  • The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality
  • By: Venki Ramakrishnan
  • Narrated by: John Moraitis
  • Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (15 ratings)

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Why We Die  By  cover art

Why We Die

By: Venki Ramakrishnan
Narrated by: John Moraitis
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Publisher's summary

"Utterly fascinating." —Bill Bryson

"An incredible journey." —Siddhartha Mukherjee

A groundbreaking exploration of the science of longevity and mortality—from Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Venki Ramakrishnan

The knowledge of death is so terrifying that we live most of our lives in denial of it. One of the most difficult moments of childhood must be when each of us first realizes that not only we but all our loved ones will die—and there is nothing we can do about it.

Or at least, there hasn’t been. Today, we are living through a revolution in biology. Giant strides are being made in understanding why we age—and why some species live longer than others. Could we eventually cheat disease and death and live for a very long time, possibly many times our current lifespan?

Venki Ramakrishnan, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and former president of the Royal Society, takes us on a riveting journey to the frontiers of biology, asking whether we must be mortal. Covering the recent breakthroughs in scientific research, he examines the cutting edge of efforts to extend lifespan by altering our physiology. But might death serve a necessary biological purpose? What are the social and ethical costs of attempting to live forever?

Why We Die is a narrative of uncommon insight and beauty from one of our leading public intellectuals.

©2024 Venki Ramakrishnan (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

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informative, thoughtful and kind

Very informative, and calming. Dr. Ramakrishnan offers a sensitive and emotionally generous insight in calm, measured, compassionate words

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Brilliant. The book was fantastic and level headed. I appreciated also the way he criticized Sinclair.

Narrator made no apparent effort (or didn't care) to pronounce scientific terms correctly. Too bad. It wouldn't have taken 10min online to pronounce terms correctly.

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Great combination of science and storytelling

I enjoyed how the author unpacked the science around aging and mortality. He was kind and informative, taking on some myths and highlighting potential areas for progress.

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Factful and balanced view

The book provides a factual and very balanced view on the hyped topic of aging in general and anti-aging products in particular. It puts many of the claims made with respect to the topic into perspective..

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