Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer - Steven Johnson - 2021 (Health) [Audiobook] (miok)

Extra Life - Steven Johnson - 2021
A Short History of Living Longer



By: Steven Johnson
Narrated by: Steven Johnson
Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 05-11-21
Language: English
Categories: Health & Wellness, Aging & Longevity
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Format: mp3 64/48 stereo



"Offers a useful reminder of the role of modern science in fundamentally transforming all of our lives." (President Barack Obama, on Twitter)

"An important book." (Steven Pinker, The New York Times Book Review)

Now also a PBS documentary series: the surprising story of how humans gained what amounts to an extra life, from the bestselling author of How We Got to Now and Where Good Ideas Come From

As a species we have doubled our life expectancy in just one hundred years. All the advances of modern life - the medical breakthroughs, the public health institutions, the rising standards of living - have given us each about 20,000 extra days on average. There are few measures of human progress more astonishing than our increased longevity.

This book is Steven Johnson’s attempt to understand where that progress came from. How many of those extra 20,000 days came from vaccines, or the decrease in famines, or seatbelts? What are the forces that now keep us alive longer? Behind each breakthrough lies an inspiring story of cooperative innovation, of brilliant thinkers bolstered by strong systems of public support and collaborative networks.

But it is not enough simply to remind ourselves that progress is possible. How do we avoid decreases in life expectancy as our public health systems face unprecedented challenges? What current technologies or interventions that could reduce the impact of future crises are we somehow ignoring?

A study in how meaningful change happens in society, Extra Life is an ode to the enduring power of common goals and public resources. The most fundamental progress we have experienced over the past few centuries has not come from big corporations or start-ups. It has come, instead, from activists struggling for reform; from university-based and publicly funded scientists sharing their findings open-source-style; and from nonprofit agencies spreading new innovations around the world.

©2020 Steven Johnson (P)2020 Penguin Audio





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