Extra Life

By Steven Johnson,

Book cover of Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

Book description

“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…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Extra Life as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

When I first saw the book, I thought, “What an odd title for a book on technology?” But the adage that you can’t tell a book by its cover was 100 percent accurate. The author takes the reader on a remarkable journey to understand how the technologies of the day, ordinary technologies—such as vaccines, pasteurization, drug regulation and testing, antibiotics, and industrial safety--have transformed humanity, societies, and our daily lives.

The author leaves the best for last, as he asserts that the most transformative technology has been access to clean water. The results are measured in greater longevity and quality…

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