Becoming Immortal

Providing the philosophical, practical, and theoretical leverage for abandoning evolution and development in favor of engineering human beings, Becoming Immortal examines the directions biological change might take if civilization were to take charge of its own destiny. With the aid of embryonic manipulation, cloning, and stemcell therapy, immortality would seem within the reach of future generations. The question is, "Do we presently have the wisdom to undertake creating immortal organisms?" The author examines every facet of this question, from theory to practice, and provides an answer through an in-depth analysis of life and death. Book jacket.

Stanley Shostak is Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh