Borrowed Time explores scientific discoveries that have shaped our ever-changing conception of aging. Some of these discoveries will be familiar from college biology, such as telomerase and pluripotent stem cells; other experiments may be more recognizable for their resultant fads and pop science, like intermittent fasting. As the global population continues to live longer, it is natural for the general public to seek answers into how to “reverse the clock”. This can ring particularly true for a doctor who might see patients living longer but precariously spending those additional years in and out of the hospital.
When writing this book, Armstrong interviewed countless researchers engaged in gerontology, or aging research. Each chapter begins with a personal anecdote that frames the human motivation behind the research. In this book, hypotheses are formulated often from these individuals’ belief that aging need not be an inevitable progression towards death. Readers may instead learn of the incredible adaptations and mechanisms that circumvent this prognosis, such as the daf-2 mutation in Caenorhabditis elegans that allows them to seemingly age slower and live 45 percent longer than usual. This book covers a wide range of topics, and includes chapters focusing on chronic HIV/AIDS, cell senescence, and Alzheimer disease. While many of these topics may already be familiar, some chapters introduced less well-known experimental methods, such as parabiosis—the connection of two animals into one circulation. While the book could only serve as an introduction, this could lead to the review of exciting original research articles, which can be aided by the addition of figures and charts. As such, this book may function well as a “sampler” of sorts into those curious about gerontology research.
One important caveat to this book is that one wishes that Armstrong would devote more words to emphasizing a guiding narrative to the book, or some personal introspection suggested by the title. The book as a whole functions more as a systematic review of gerontology or a compilation of popular science articles. There is no discussion of what aging means to humanity, or how the world has shifted to accommodate this change in population demographics. “Aging” in this book is strictly a scientific phenomenon, as opposed to the complex concept that encompasses physical, psychological, and social changes in a lifetime.
As future physicians and scientists, it is always fascinating to see how research findings are translated to a more general public—what gets emphasized and what might get lost in translation. Reading this book could be more useful as a study of how to discuss these findings with patients and the general public. There will likely always be a push for more illuminating research in the field of aging, and it will be important for scientists to acknowledge how these conclusions may change the understanding of “borrowed time”.