Immortality : the quest to live forever and how it drives civilization /
Stephen Cave.
- 1st ed.
- New York : Crown Publishers, 2012.
- x, 320 p. ; 25 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p.[ 289]-310).
A beautiful woman has come : the four paths to immortality -- Magic barriers : civilization and the elixir of life -- The vitamin cure : science versus the reaper -- St. Paul and the cannibals : the rise of resurrection -- Frankenstein redux : the modern reanimators -- Beatrice's smile : what happens in paradise -- The lost soul : reincarnation and the evidence of science -- Look on my works, ye mighty : everlasting fame -- The immortal seed : genes, Gaia and the things in between -- He who saw the deep : wisdom and mortality.
A narrative citing the activities of historical figures and leading modern scientists demonstrates how the innate desire to live forever has contributed to humanity's most significant achievements in science, medicine, religion, and art.