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EXTRA LIFE: We Doubled Life Expectancy in the Last Century. Can We Do It Again?

EXTRA LIFE: We Doubled Life Expectancy in the Last Century. Can We Do It Again?

FromThe Next Big Idea


EXTRA LIFE: We Doubled Life Expectancy in the Last Century. Can We Do It Again?

FromThe Next Big Idea

ratings:
Length:
72 minutes
Released:
Sep 8, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Over the past century, the average human lifespan has doubled. That astonishing statistic is the subject of a new book and PBS series by acclaimed science writer Steven Johnson called “Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer.” In this episode, he tells Rufus about the renegades who shamed milkmen, spiked public reservoirs, and rode rocket-powered sleds — all in the name of science. They discuss how inventions like vaccines, seatbelts, and sewers made the world a safer place. And they peer into a future where aging might be a thing of the past.
Released:
Sep 8, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

The Next Big Idea is a weekly series of in-depth interviews with the world’s leading thinkers. Join our host, Rufus Griscom — along with our curators, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — for conversations that might just change the way you see the world. New episodes every Thursday.