Live Forever?: A Curious Scientist's Guide to Wellness, Ageing and Death

Time wants you dead. Not just you, but your friends, family, pets – everyone you’ve ever met…

'A beautifully written book about life and death: busts myths, explores the stories of science and history, and ultimately is rich and uplifting.' Dr Adam Rutherford

With over 17,000 known diseases affecting humans, and countless poisons, carcinogens and toxins in our environment, it’s a miracle that our bodies manage to keep us alive. And that is, of course, if they don’t betray us themselves, whether through cancers or autoimmune conditions.

Biomedical researcher Professor John Tregoning tells the unlikely story of how, against all odds, we manage to stay alive. Taking an organ-by-organ tour of the human body, Tregoning embarks on his own experimental quest, testing 'life-extending' diets and exercise regimes to separate fact from fad. Exploring the multitude of ways our bodies can kill us, from inherited genetic conditions, through heart attacks, arrythmias and angina, onto the delicate workings of the brain, Live Forever? offers compelling insight into how our bodies work, how we can best look after them – and ultimately live longer, healthier lives.

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'I heartily recommend this deep dive into wellness... It turns out that none of us are getting out of here alive, but John has bravely put his mind and body on the line to discover the secrets of staying healthy and happy as we get older. A funny, fascinating and educative book.' Ben Willbond, co-creator of Ghosts

'The idea that a book about death and dying could be a delightful read seems ridiculous, and yet John Tregoning has pulled off this trick with humour, flair and elegance.' Nessa Carey, author of The Epigenetics Revolution

'An enjoyable and entertaining mixture of scientific facts about ageing and completely unscientific self-experimentation... recognizing that although none of us will live forever, there are ways we can improve our chances of living well while we are still around.' Dame Sarah Gilbert

Prof. John S. Tregoning is Professor of Vaccine Immunology at Imperial College London, where he runs a research group on infectious diseases. John has published over sixty academic papers and had a regular column in Nature during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has written articles for Times Higher Education and Science, and has been interviewed by outlets including the BBC and Sunday Telegraph. He tweets at @DrTregoning.