The Long And The Short Of It Book

The Long and the Short of It

The Long and the Short of It

“[A] whimsical book on aging . . . the author mixes art, science, and humor to brew a highly readable concoction, presenting one aging theory after another.” —Publishers Weekly Everything that lives will die. That’s the fundamental fact of life. But not everyone dies at the same age: people vary wildly in their patterns of aging and their life spans—and that variation is nothing compared to what’s found in other animal and plant species. With The Long and the Short of It, biologist and writer Jonathan Silvertown offers readers a witty and fascinating tour through the scientific study of longevity and aging. Dividing his daunting subject by theme—death, life span, aging, heredity, evolution, and more—Silvertown draws on the latest scientific developments to paint a picture of what we know about how life span, senescence, and death vary within and across species. At every turn, he addresses fascinating questions that have far-reaching implications: What causes aging, and what determines the length of an individual life? What changes have caused the average human life span to increase so dramatically—fifteen minutes per hour—in the past two centuries? If evolution favors those who leave the most descendants, why haven’t we evolved to be immortal? The answers to these puzzles and more emerge from close examination of the whole natural history of life span and aging, from fruit flies, nematodes, redwoods, and much more. The Long and the Short of It pairs a perpetually fascinating topic with a wholly engaging writer, and the result is a supremely accessible book that will reward curious readers of all ages. “Captivating and enlightening.” —The New York Times Well Blog

The Business of Economics

John Kay has been described as the `most important business analyst in Britain bar none', and this book shows why. Here he combines common sense and rigorous economic thinking in a number of essays on business and economic issues—-the competitiveness of UK plc, the stakeholder economy, business strategy, and corporate personality. Kay is well known for his incisive and entertaining columns in the Financial Times (some of which are included here), his regular audio and TV broadcasts, and is much in demand as a speaker and consultant. In The Business of Economics he shares his analysis, thoughts and insights on a range of urgent and important issues facing the country and individual firms. His clear and direct writing style will inform, challenge, and entertain; his rigorous and clever analysis of the corporate world will offer insights into the business problems and decisions faced by executives and managers every day. The book confirms the judgement of the Economist - `that John Kay is well on the way to turning himself into a European Michael Porter.'