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The Immortal Cell: One Scientist's Quest to Solve the Mystery of Human Aging
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Authors/Performers
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Michael D. West;
Product Description
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Human beings have always hungered for immortality. But even in myths, those who find the secrets of eternal life often have to pay a high price. Michael West, CEO of Advanced Cell Technology, has spent most of his career as a biotechnologist seeking ways to make mammalian cells live forever. His successes put him at the center of political, moral, and religious firestorms. In The Immortal Cell, West offers not only a chronology of the emerging science of immortality, but a personal journal of his own path from strict creationist to ardent scientist seeking to shape human evolution. It was West and his cohorts who announced in 2001 that by inserting a person's own DNA into an unfertilized egg cell from a woman of reproductive age, they could create embryonic stem cells--cells that might be able to repair any number of problems for the DNA donor, including burns, cancer, degenerative disorders, and even normal aging. Accused of "playing God," West became one of the central figures in the debates on human cloning and was compared to Osama bin Laden by one histrionic news agent. In The Immortal Cell, West describes both the research and the furor that followed. Though the biology is a little tough for general readers, West does a fine job of using diagrams and step-by-step descriptions to explain his processes of cell culture and manipulation. The debate over therapeutic cloning of human cells is far from over, and readers seeking to better understand the debate will find West's book an unapologetic, one-sided argument in favor of human stem cell research. --Therese Littleton
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This amazing book reads like a Michael Crichton novel; full of suspense, moral predicaments, and uncertainies, with the added bonus of it being a true story. The author truly captures the intensity of being on the cutting edge of controversial science; give this to your kid and they will give up on 'cops and robbers' and want to be a scientist when they grow up. Read it yourself, and you will gain new insight into the controversy. Highly recommended.;
[Rating: 4 Stars]
After reading so many positive reviews, I ordered the book, and expected to learn in-depth insight into the immortality of cells.
I was disappointed. This book is more of the author's personal story of pursuing the goal of revering aging rather than detailed look into the biological nature of aging. There are tidbits of gems here and there, but the density is low. If you are looking for amserious discussion of the subject matter, this book is not for you.;
[Rating: 2 Stars]
This book is a narrative account of the author's attempts over the years to study aging. There was a lot of discussion about stem cells. I was hoping for more commentary on immortality, but he talked a lot about therapeutic uses of stem cells instead. The talk of immortality was mostly restricted to getting individual cells to reproduce indefinitely, rather than finding the fountain of youth. There were characters here and there who were introduced and faded away, but by and large the focus was on the author's character.
If you're looking for a dreamy, fountain of youth type of book, this is not really it. That is what I was looking for, so I was disappointed to see it was merely a recounting of events without a whole lot of future vision or insights. I think there are other books on immortality out there you may want to try.;
[Rating: 3 Stars]
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