Two New Books Question the Data and Ethics Behind the Quest to Slow Aging
By
Dhruv Khullar
Summary
Dhruv Khullar reviews two new books—Saul Justin Newman's "Morbid" and Ezekiel J. Emanuel's "Eat Your Ice Cream"—that critically examine the modern longevity science movement. The article explores how the quest to slow aging and extend human lifespan is fraught with questionable data, dubious claims, and ethical complexities. Newman's work challenges the validity of supercentenarian records, suggesting many are based on faulty documentation and pension fraud, while Emanuel argues against the obsessive pursuit of extreme longevity, advocating instead for a focus on quality of life and accepting a natural lifespan. Together, the books raise fundamental questions about what we really want from longevity research.
Source
Hacker NewsTwo New Books Question the Data and Ethics Behind the Quest to Slow Agingnewyorker.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledJiroemon Kimura, who is on record as the world's oldest man, died at the reported age of a hundred and sixteen, in 2013.
Strangely, he is the only one of his five siblings to have multiple graduation records; he seems to have completed elementary school in 1907, or 1909, or 1911.
He supposedly married his wife on three different dates, and at some point he not only adopted his w
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