The Youth Pill

Science for the Public: Contemporary Science Issues and Innovations September 10, 2010 Belmont Media Center, Belmont MA

David Stipp, Author of The Youth Pill: Scientists at the Brink of an Anti-Aging Revolution

David Stipp discusses how scientific and medical researchers are addressing the issue of aging. As modern populations live longer, it is necessary to understand both the aging process itself and the potential for greater longevity with good health. Mr. Stipp makes a sharp distinction between bogus claims of an easy way to obtain longevity and the very serious research in genetics and other fields suggesting the possibility of extending productive life. He offers a very clear analysis of the scientific data on aging, and he argues the case for more research and better public information on this issue.

Mr. Stipp has written about science,medicine, the environment and biotech since 1982 for The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Salon, Science and other publications. He led Fortune’s science and medical coverage from 1995 to 2005 as a senior writer, and from 1982 to 1995 covered science and medicine as a staff reporter at The Wall Street Journal. In 1998 he won a National Association of Science Writer’s award for best magazine article, and in 1993-4 served as a Knight Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Over the past decade, he has written extensively about the study of aging, including his recent book, discussed here.

more by David Stipp:

*How Senescent Cells Spur Aging and Cancer, Scientific American, August 2012)

*Quest for Anti-Aging Drugs Transitions from Flaky to MainstreamScientific American Guest Blog, December 2011