As a species we have doubled our life expectancy in just one hundred years. All the advances of modern life - the medical breakthroughs, the public health institutions, the rising standards of living - have given us each about twenty thousand extra days on average. There are few measures of human progress more astonishing than our increased longevity. This book is Steven Johnson's attempt to understand where that progress came from. How many of those extra days came from vaccines? What are the forces that now keep us alive longer? Behind each breakthrough lies an inspiring story of innovation.

Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

Politics & Social Sciences

Johnson, Steven

Social Sciences

Riverhead Books

"Offers a useful reminder of the role of modern science in fundamentally transforming all of our lives." -President Barack Obama (on Twitter) "An important book." -Steven Pinker, The New York Times Book Review The surprising and important story of how humans gained what amounts to an extra life, from the bestselling author of How We Got to Now and Where Good Ideas Come From In 1920, at the end of the last major pandemic, global life expectancy was just over forty years. Today, in many parts of the world, human beings can expect to live more than eighty years. As a species we have doubled our life expectancy in just one century. There are few measures of human progress more astonishing than this increased longevity. Extra Life is Steven Johnson's attempt to understand where that progress came from, telling the epic story of one of humanity's greatest achievements. How many of those extra years came from vaccines, or the decrease in famines, or seatbelts? What are the forces that now keep us alive longer? Behind each breakthrough lies an inspiring story of cooperative innovation, of brilliant thinkers bolstered by strong systems of public support and collaborative networks, and of dedicated activists fighting for meaningful reform. But for all its focus on positive change, this book is also a reminder that meaningful gaps in life expectancy still exist, and that new threats loom on the horizon, as the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear. How do we avoid decreases in life expectancy as our public health systems face unprecedented challenges? What current technologies or interventions that could reduce the impact of future crises are we somehow ignoring? A study in how meaningful change happens in society, Extra Life celebrates the enduring power of common goals and public resources, and the heroes of public health and medicine too often ignored in popular accounts of our history. This is the sweeping story of a revolution with immense public and personal consequences- the doubling of the human life span.

Science & Math

History & Philosophy

About the Author\nSteven Johnson is the bestselling author of eleven books, including Where Good Ideas Come From, Wonderland, and The Ghost Map. He's the host and co-creator of the Emmy-winning PBS/BBC series How We Got To Now, and the host of the podcast American Innovations. He lives in Brooklyn and Marin County, California with his wife and three sons.\nThe best-selling author of How We Got to Now describes how humans doubled their life expectancy in 100 years and highlights medical breakthroughs, higher standards of living and even seatbelt laws that aided in giving us each 20,000 extra days. (science). Simultaneous. Illustrations.

Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer (Random House Large Print)

Random House Large Print

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Johnson, Steven. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Johnson, Steven

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Johnson, Steven. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer (Random House Large Print)