{"product_id":"9780547561578","title":"Merchants of Immortality: Chasing the Dream of Human Life Extension","description":"\u003cb\u003eA Discover Best Science Book of the Year: “A fascinating, accurate and accessible account of some of [the] contemporary efforts to combat aging” (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Named a Best Book of the Year by the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSan Jose Mercury News\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e An award-winning writer explores science’s boldest frontier—extension of the human life span—interviewing dozens of people involved in the quest to allow us to live longer, better lives.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Delving into topics from cancer to stem cells to cloning, \u003ci\u003eMerchants of Immortality\u003c\/i\u003e looks at humankind’s quest for longevity and tackles profound questions about our hopes for defeating health problems like heart attacks, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes. The story follows a close-knit but fractious band of scientists as well as entrepreneurs who work in the shadowy area between profit and the public good. The author tracks the science of aging back to the iconoclastic Leonard Hayflick—who was the first to show that cells age, and whose epic legal battles with the federal government cleared the path for today’s biotech visionaries.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Among those is the charismatic Michael West, a former creationist who founded the first biotech company devoted to aging research. West has won both ardent admirers and committed foes in his relentless quest to promote stem cells, therapeutic cloning, and other technologies of “practical immortality.” \u003ci\u003eMerchants of Immortality\u003c\/i\u003e breathes scintillating life into the most momentous science of our day, assesses the political and bioethical controversies it has spawned, and explores its potentially dramatic effect on the length and quality of our lives.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Timely and engrossing . . . This is top-drawer journalism.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A carefully documented examination of how society deals with life-and-death matters.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “An important survey of the entire landscape of the science aimed at extending human life.” —\u003ci\u003eNewsday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “[This] highly readable and important book . . . provide[s] new insights into the intersection of science and politics.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Houghton Mifflin Harcourt","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47107075637488,"sku":"9780547561578","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780547561578_p0.jpg?v=1769896296","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780547561578","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}