
Immortality
How Science is Extending Your Life Span and Changing the World
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Stefan Rudnicki
-
By:
-
Ben Bova
About this listen
The first immortals are already living among us. You might be one of them. At first glance, that arresting statement sounds as if it might come from a science-fiction story. But it is an astonishing, exciting fact - as explained clearly and cogently by Dr. Ben Bova.
In his distinguished career, Dr. Bova has predicted the discovery of life on Mars, the space race of the 1960s, solar-powered satellites, the discovery of organic chemicals in interstellar space, virtual reality, the Strategic Defense Initiative, the advent of international peacekeeping forces, the discovery of ice on the Moon, and electronic book publishing. Now he explores the future effects of science and technology on the human life span - and discovers that one day, death will no longer be the inevitable end of life.
Dr. Bova guides listeners through worldwide research into the biochemical processes that cause aging and death, and shows what scientists are discovering about stopping, perhaps even reversing, these processes.
According to Dr. Bova, if you have a normal life expectancy today, the medical and biological advances that will be achieved over the next 10 to 20 years will probably allow you to live long past 100. The longer you live, the more knowledge scientists will glean, and the further they will be able to extend your life span.
With crystal-clear, utterly accessible prose, Dr. Bova explains how science could maintain the youth and vigor of a 50-year-old indefinitely, perhaps even reversing the effects of aging. He also offers provocative thoughts on the tumultuous societal consequences of such biomedical breakthroughs, as greatly extended life spans and virtual immortality transform institutions like Medicare, Social Security, pension plans, life insurance, even the very foundations of work and retirement. Here is a compelling, startling, understandable, and vitally important study of the greatest challenge - and the most tantalizing opportunity - ever faced by humankind.
©1998 Ben Bova (P)2009 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Ender's Game
- Special 20th Anniversary Edition
- By: Orson Scott Card
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Harlan Ellison, Gabrielle de Cuir
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why we think it’s a great listen: It’s easy to say that when it comes to sci-fi you either love it or you hate it. But with Ender’s Game, it seems to be you either love it or you love it.... The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Enter Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, the result of decades of genetic experimentation.
-
-
6 titles in the series so far
- By Kapila Wimalaratne on 01-29-03
By: Orson Scott Card
-
Life Force
- How New Breakthroughs in Precision Medicine Can Transform the Quality of Your Life & Those You Love
- By: Tony Robbins, Peter H. Diamandis, Robert Hariri
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb, Tony Robbins, Peter Diamandis, and others
- Length: 22 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Transform your life or the life of someone you love with Life Force - the newest breakthroughs in health technology to help maximize your energy and strength, prevent disease, and extend your health span - from Tony Robbins, author of the number one New York Times best seller Money: Master the Game.
-
-
Intresting, great information for the wealthy.
- By K. Smith on 02-19-22
By: Tony Robbins, and others
-
Lifespan
- Why We Age - and Why We Don't Have To
- By: David A. Sinclair PhD, Matthew D. LaPlante
- Narrated by: David A. Sinclair PhD
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From an acclaimed Harvard professor and one of Time’s most influential people, this paradigm-shifting audiobook shows how almost everything we think we know about aging is wrong, offers a front-row seat to the amazing global effort to slow, stop, and reverse aging, and calls listeners to consider a future where aging can be treated.
-
-
Incredible
- By Nikolai B.G on 09-13-19
By: David A. Sinclair PhD, and others
-
Human Errors
- A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes
- By: Nathan H. Lents
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We humans like to think of ourselves as highly evolved creatures. But if we are supposedly evolution's greatest creation, why do we have such bad knees? Why do we catch head colds so often - 200 times more often than a dog does? How come our wrists have so many useless bones? And are we really supposed to swallow and breathe through the same narrow tube? Surely there's been some kind of mistake. As professor of biology Nathan H. Lents explains in Human Errors, our evolutionary history is nothing if not a litany of mistakes, each more entertaining and enlightening than the last.
-
-
From Pointless Bones to Broken Genes to...Aliens?
- By Katy.LED on 12-04-18
By: Nathan H. Lents
-
The Body
- A Guide for Occupants
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bill Bryson once again proves himself to be an incomparable companion as he guides us through the human body - how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and (unfortunately) the ways it can fail. Full of extraordinary facts (your body made a million red blood cells since you started reading this) and irresistible Bryson-esque anecdotes, The Body will lead you to a deeper understanding of the miracle that is life in general and you in particular. As Bill Bryson writes, "We pass our existence within this wobble of flesh and yet take it almost entirely for granted."
-
-
Must Read for the Sheer Fun of It
- By J.B. on 10-16-19
By: Bill Bryson
-
The Gene
- An Intimate History
- By: Siddhartha Mukherjee
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The extraordinary Siddhartha Mukherjee has written a biography of the gene as deft, brilliant, and illuminating as his extraordinarily successful biography of cancer. Weaving science, social history, and personal narrative to tell us the story of one of the most important conceptual breakthroughs of modern times, Mukherjee animates the quest to understand human heredity and its surprising influence on our lives, personalities, identities, fates, and choices.
-
-
It's a Wonderful Book
- By JKC on 06-02-16
-
Ender's Game
- Special 20th Anniversary Edition
- By: Orson Scott Card
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Harlan Ellison, Gabrielle de Cuir
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why we think it’s a great listen: It’s easy to say that when it comes to sci-fi you either love it or you hate it. But with Ender’s Game, it seems to be you either love it or you love it.... The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Enter Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, the result of decades of genetic experimentation.
-
-
6 titles in the series so far
- By Kapila Wimalaratne on 01-29-03
By: Orson Scott Card
-
Life Force
- How New Breakthroughs in Precision Medicine Can Transform the Quality of Your Life & Those You Love
- By: Tony Robbins, Peter H. Diamandis, Robert Hariri
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb, Tony Robbins, Peter Diamandis, and others
- Length: 22 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Transform your life or the life of someone you love with Life Force - the newest breakthroughs in health technology to help maximize your energy and strength, prevent disease, and extend your health span - from Tony Robbins, author of the number one New York Times best seller Money: Master the Game.
-
-
Intresting, great information for the wealthy.
- By K. Smith on 02-19-22
By: Tony Robbins, and others
-
Lifespan
- Why We Age - and Why We Don't Have To
- By: David A. Sinclair PhD, Matthew D. LaPlante
- Narrated by: David A. Sinclair PhD
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From an acclaimed Harvard professor and one of Time’s most influential people, this paradigm-shifting audiobook shows how almost everything we think we know about aging is wrong, offers a front-row seat to the amazing global effort to slow, stop, and reverse aging, and calls listeners to consider a future where aging can be treated.
-
-
Incredible
- By Nikolai B.G on 09-13-19
By: David A. Sinclair PhD, and others
-
Human Errors
- A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes
- By: Nathan H. Lents
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We humans like to think of ourselves as highly evolved creatures. But if we are supposedly evolution's greatest creation, why do we have such bad knees? Why do we catch head colds so often - 200 times more often than a dog does? How come our wrists have so many useless bones? And are we really supposed to swallow and breathe through the same narrow tube? Surely there's been some kind of mistake. As professor of biology Nathan H. Lents explains in Human Errors, our evolutionary history is nothing if not a litany of mistakes, each more entertaining and enlightening than the last.
-
-
From Pointless Bones to Broken Genes to...Aliens?
- By Katy.LED on 12-04-18
By: Nathan H. Lents
-
The Body
- A Guide for Occupants
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bill Bryson once again proves himself to be an incomparable companion as he guides us through the human body - how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and (unfortunately) the ways it can fail. Full of extraordinary facts (your body made a million red blood cells since you started reading this) and irresistible Bryson-esque anecdotes, The Body will lead you to a deeper understanding of the miracle that is life in general and you in particular. As Bill Bryson writes, "We pass our existence within this wobble of flesh and yet take it almost entirely for granted."
-
-
Must Read for the Sheer Fun of It
- By J.B. on 10-16-19
By: Bill Bryson
-
The Gene
- An Intimate History
- By: Siddhartha Mukherjee
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The extraordinary Siddhartha Mukherjee has written a biography of the gene as deft, brilliant, and illuminating as his extraordinarily successful biography of cancer. Weaving science, social history, and personal narrative to tell us the story of one of the most important conceptual breakthroughs of modern times, Mukherjee animates the quest to understand human heredity and its surprising influence on our lives, personalities, identities, fates, and choices.
-
-
It's a Wonderful Book
- By JKC on 06-02-16
-
The Song of the Cell
- An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human
- By: Siddhartha Mukherjee
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 16 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of The Emperor of All Maladies, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and The Gene, a #1 New York Times bestseller, comes his most spectacular book yet, an exploration of medicine and our radical new ability to manipulate cells. Rich with Mukherjee’s revelatory and exhilarating stories of scientists, doctors, and the patients whose lives may be saved by their work, The Song of the Cell is the third book in this extraordinary writer’s exploration of what it means to be human.
-
-
Beyond Words Wonderful
- By Lynn on 11-27-22
-
The Cancer Code
- A Revolutionary New Understanding of a Medical Mystery
- By: Dr. Jason Fung
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Our understanding of cancer is slowly undergoing a revolution, allowing for the development of more effective treatments. For the first time ever, the death rate from cancer is showing a steady decline...but the “War on Cancer” has hardly been won. In The Cancer Code, Dr. Jason Fung offers a revolutionary new understanding of this invasive, often fatal disease - what it is, how it manifests, and why it is so challenging to treat.
-
-
Not helpful for a cancer patient
- By KattyG on 11-25-20
By: Dr. Jason Fung
-
A Crack in Creation
- Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution
- By: Jennifer A. Doudna, Samuel H. Sternberg
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Not since the atomic bomb has a technology so alarmed its inventors that they warned the world about its use. Not, that is, until the spring of 2015, when biologist Jennifer Doudna called for a worldwide moratorium on the use of the new gene-editing tool CRISPR - a revolutionary new technology that she helped create - to make heritable changes in human embryos.
-
-
In to the abyss we ascend, a scary future
- By Philomath on 06-17-17
By: Jennifer A. Doudna, and others
-
Sex, Lies, and Menopause
- The Shocking Truth About Synthetic Hormones and the Benefits of Natural Alternatives
- By: T. S. Wiley, Julie Taguchi - with, Bent Formby - with
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this revolutionary work - a landmark that signals the true beginning of feminist medicine - a doctor, a philosopher, and a scientist prove that by postponing marriage and motherhood, women have accelerated the aging process, resulting in earlier menopause and, ultimately for thousands, earlier death. In Sex, Lies, and Menopause, they offer strong evidence that the use of synthetic hormones leads to cancer and advise women to turn to natural hormone-replacement therapy to help them elevate their estrogen level for greater energy, libido, and intellectual capacity.
-
-
Too good to be true
- By Amazon Customer on 03-02-25
By: T. S. Wiley, and others
-
She Has Her Mother's Laugh
- The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity
- By: Carl Zimmer
- Narrated by: Joe Ochman
- Length: 20 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She Has Her Mother's Laugh presents a profoundly original perspective on what we pass along from generation to generation. Charles Darwin played a crucial part in turning heredity into a scientific question, and yet he failed spectacularly to answer it. The birth of genetics in the early 1900s seemed to do precisely that. Gradually, people translated their old notions about heredity into a language of genes. We need a new definition of what heredity is and, through Carl Zimmer's lucid exposition and storytelling, this resounding tour de force delivers it.
-
-
Changed this strict genetic determinist's mind
- By Anonymous User on 06-11-18
By: Carl Zimmer
-
Vaccines, Autoimmunity, and the Changing Nature of Childhood Illness
- By: Thomas Cowan MD
- Narrated by: Madison Niederhauser
- Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the past 50 years, rates of autoimmunity and chronic disease have exploded. In this provocative book, Dr. Thomas Cowan argues for a direct causal relationship to a corresponding increase in the number of vaccines American children typically receive. The goal of these vaccines is precisely what we’re now seeing in such abundance among our chronically ill children: the provocation of immune response. Cowan looks at emerging evidence that certain childhood illnesses are actually protective of disease later in life.
-
-
Hear both sides
- By SJ on 01-24-20
By: Thomas Cowan MD
-
Tripping Over the Truth
- The Return of the Metabolic Theory of Cancer Illuminates a New and Hopeful Path to a Cure
- By: Travis Christofferson
- Narrated by: Clay Lomakayu
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A masterful synchronization of history and cutting-edge science shines new light on humanity's darkest diagnosis. In the wake of the Cancer Genome Atlas project's failure to provide a legible road map to a cure for cancer, science writer Travis Christofferson illuminates a promising blend of old and new perspectives on the disease.
-
-
Non-fiction books - please include references
- By yaelb on 06-15-16
-
Cracking the Aging Code
- The New Science of Growing Old - and What It Means for Staying Young
- By: Josh Mitteldorf, Dorion Sagan
- Narrated by: Stephen McLaughlin
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Cracking the Aging Code, theoretical biologist Josh Mitteldorf and award-winning writer and ecological philosopher Dorion Sagan reveal that evolution and aging are even more complex and breathtaking than we originally thought. Using meticulous multidisciplinary science as well as reviewing the history of our understanding about evolution, this book makes the case that aging is not something that "just happens", nor is it the result of wear and tear or a genetic inevitability.
-
-
Liberal agenda
- By Frank on 08-21-16
By: Josh Mitteldorf, and others
-
Evolving Ourselves
- How Unnatural Selection and Nonrandom Mutation are Changing Life on Earth
- By: Juan Enriquez, Steve Gullans
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why are conditions like autism, asthma, obesity, and allergies exploding at unprecedented rates? Why are we living longer, getting smarter, having far fewer kids? If Darwin were alive today, how would he explain this new world?
-
-
fascinating ideas and science
- By Joel on 07-04-15
By: Juan Enriquez, and others
-
Ageless
- The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old
- By: Andrew Steele
- Narrated by: Andrew Steele
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aging - not cancer, not heart disease - is the underlying cause of most human death and suffering. The same cascade of biological changes that renders us wrinkled and gray also opens the door to dementia and disease. We work furiously to conquer each individual disease, but we never think to ask: Is aging itself necessary? Nature tells us it is not: There are tortoises and salamanders who are spry into old age and whose risk of dying is the same no matter how old they are.
-
-
General overview of aging and aging research
- By RealWoman8 on 03-31-21
By: Andrew Steele
-
Cells Are the New Cure
- The Cutting-Edge Medical Breakthroughs That Are Transforming Our Health
- By: Sanjay Gupta MD - Foreword, Max Gomez PhD, Robin L. Smith MD
- Narrated by: Randye Kaye
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Promising treatments now in more than 35,000 clinical trials could have dramatic impacts on cancer, autoimmune diseases, organ replacement, heart disease, and even aging itself. These treatments, which are saving the lives of patients in the trials, will soon be rolled to the medical community at large. The key to these breakthroughs is the use of living cells as medicine instead of traditional drugs. Research has found that our bodies are virtual treasure troves of adult cells that act as agents of remarkable healing and repair.
-
-
Amazing! Must listen!
- By Max pavlovich on 04-30-18
By: Sanjay Gupta MD - Foreword, and others
-
Borrowed Time
- By: Sue Armstrong
- Narrated by: Rachel Atkins
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The question of how and why organisms age has teased scientists for centuries. There are myriad competing theories, from the idea that ageing is a simple wear and tear process, like the rusting of a car, to the belief that ageing and death are genetically programmed and controlled. In fact, there is no clearly defined limit to life and no single, predictable program playing itself out: different things are happening within and between tissues, and each system or organ accumulates damage at its own pace, according to the kind of insults imposed on it by daily living.
-
-
awesome!
- By Connor Barrick on 06-18-19
By: Sue Armstrong
Critic reviews
Would you listen to Immortality again? Why?
Yes. While I kept up with most of it, I am positive that there are sections I could have understood better. It is a fascinating listen that gives you a lot of information and leaves you with much to think about. Do we want this future to come about or not.What other book might you compare Immortality to and why?
Not sure I have any that I could. This book is predicting a not so distant future, yet it is more like a journal of recent events. It is science fiction and journalism in a single package.Have you listened to any of Stefan Rudnicki’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Stefan is a master. I doubt that he could ever deliver a poor performance. He does this every bit as well as he does Ender's Game or any other tale.What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?
The science around the cell reproduction and the limits to how often some cells can reproduce.Any additional comments?
It is now nearly a decade since this book was published. I'd love to see a sequel or second edition with updates on the progress and notes on if Dr. Bova would stick with his original timelines or adjust them in or out.Can we get a second edition?
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Mountains of information
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not For Me
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
For me, not really. This book is strongly geared towards lay people without a scientific background. In fact, the book simply acts as a scientific review of research relating to aging at the time (1998, so a lot of the info is rather dated) for the layperson. If you already have some grasp of life extension research, I wouldn't recommend this book. Many of the concepts are over simplified to the point of bordering on being false. I give this book 2 stars basically just because it promotes the idea of aging being programmed.What could Ben Bova have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Include more specific case studies and why he thinks such studies will lead to immortality. He doesn't really give any original ideas.What didn’t you like about Stefan Rudnicki’s performance?
I wasn't sure if it was read by a computer or not. There were some parts that definitely sounded very much like a computer voice, and other parts where I thought it was too good to be a computer. And many words, such asDid Immortality inspire you to do anything?
No.Good for beginners
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A really bad choice for me
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.