TV: Stealing Time: The New Science of Aging

From: Mike Linksvayer (ml@justintime.com)
Date: Tue Jun 01 1999 - 19:32:45 MDT


>From <http://www.pbs.org/stealingtime/>

        As experts approach a fundamental understanding of how people
        age, the world is witnessing the birth of a new discipline: the
        science of aging. "Stealing Time: The New Science of Aging," a
        new three-hour series airing on PBS Wednesday, June 2, 1999,
        8:00 p.m. ET (check local listings), offers startling evidence
        that the future may bring a doubling - perhaps a near tripling
        - of the average life span of human beings.

        The premise of the series is that people are now living in a
        time of scientific discovery so revolutionary that it will soon
        change the course of the human race. Although people have long
        believed that aging is an inevitable downhill journey, these
        beliefs are now being challenged. Through reports and
        interviews, STEALING TIME demonstrates that the forces that
        control aging will soon be in human hands.

In the SF Bay Area KQED is following Stealing Time with "Centenarians",
described as "A look at 25 men and women, all over 100 years old, in
their second century of living, and share their expectations of the new
millennium." See <http://www.kqed.org/TV/daily/990602.shtml>.

Today's New York Times also happens to have two articles on aging.
"Life at Age 100 Is Surprisingly Healthy"
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/060199hth-centenarians.html>
says that centenarians are often healthier than those much younger.
The study the article is based on apparently did not find any strong
connections between any lifestyles and extreme longevity. Good genes
and the ability to bounce back from stressful events seem to help.

"For Good Health, It Helps to Be Rich and Important"
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/060199hth-socioeconomic-status.html>
says that risk for ill health varies with relative wealth, "even at the
upper reaches of society, where it might seem that an abundance of
resources would even things out". This article also points to stress
as a major health factor.

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