Live Forever?: A Curious Scientist's Guide to Wellness, Ageing and Death

by John S. Tregoning

Overview

Time wants you dead. Not just you, but your friends, family, pets – everyone you’ve ever met...

'A beautifully written book about life and death: busts myths, explores the stories of science and history, and ultimately is rich and uplifting.' Dr Adam Rutherford

With over 17,000 known diseases affecting humans, and countless poisons, carcinogens and toxins in our environment, it’s a miracle that our bodies manage to keep us alive. And that is, of course, if they don’t betray us themselves, whether through cancers or autoimmune conditions.

Biomedical researcher Professor John Tregoning tells the unlikely story of how, against all odds, we manage to stay alive. Taking an organ-by-organ tour of the human body, Tregoning embarks on his own experimental quest, testing 'life-extending' diets and exercise regimes to separate fact from fad. Exploring the multitude of ways our bodies can kill us, from inherited genetic conditions, through heart attacks, arrythmias and angina, onto the delicate workings of the brain, Live Forever? offers compelling insight into how our bodies work, how we can best look after them – and ultimately live longer, healthier lives.

***

'I heartily recommend this deep dive into wellness... It turns out that none of us are getting out of here alive, but John has bravely put his mind and body on the line to discover the secrets of staying healthy and happy as we get older. A funny, fascinating and educative book.' Ben Willbond, co-creator of Ghosts

'The idea that a book about death and dying could be a delightful read seems ridiculous, and yet John Tregoning has pulled off this trick with humour, flair and elegance.' Nessa Carey, author of The Epigenetics Revolution

'An enjoyable and entertaining mixture of scientific facts about ageing and completely unscientific self-experimentation... recognizing that although none of us will live forever, there are ways we can improve our chances of living well while we are still around.' Dame Sarah Gilbert

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780861549382
Publisher:	Oneworld Publications
Publication date:	02/11/2025
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 5.60(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Prof. John S. Tregoning is a scientist and researcher whose work focuses on how viruses and bacteria infect the lungs and how our immune system fights them. He is Professor of Vaccine Immunology at Imperial College London, where he runs a research group on infectious diseases. John has published over sixty academic papers and had a regular column in Nature during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has written articles for Times Higher Education and Science, and has been interviewed by outlets including the BBC and Sunday Telegraph. He tweets at @DrTregoning.

Editorial Reviews

‘The beauty of Live Forever? is that it acknowledges the fix we’re all in, but manages to do so in a way that almost feels like a comfort.’ —Guardian, Book of the Day

'This book made me grateful for the wonders of human evolution and ingenuity to have got us this far. And it made me happier and even less likely to waste my time and money on fads.’ —The Times

'A beautifully written book about life and death: busts myths, explores the stories of science and history, and ultimately is rich and uplifting.' Dr Adam Rutherford, author of How to Argue With a Racist

'I heartily recommend this deep dive into wellness and the human body by Professor John Tregoning. It turns out that none of us are getting out of here alive, but John has bravely put his mind and body on the line to discover the secrets of staying healthy and happy as we get older. A funny, fascinating and educative book that has convinced me to get rid of my pigeon coop and renew my gym membership.'—Ben Willbond, co-creator of Ghosts

'The idea that a book about death and dying could be a delightful read seems ridiculous, and yet John Tregoning has pulled off this trick with humour, flair and elegance.' —Nessa Carey, author of The Epigenetics Revolution

'An enjoyable and entertaining mixture of scientific facts about ageing and completely unscientific self-experimentation... recognizing that although none of us will live forever, there are ways we can improve our chances of living well while we are still around.' —Dame Sarah Gilbert

'John explores ageing from every part of the human mind and body with sensitivity, deep scientific insights and, above all, humour and empathy. To take on such delicate topics – ageing and ultimately death – with such clarity, warmth and humanity is a marvel, a tribute to a great scientist and story-teller. Beautifully written and illustrated – a book for everyone, of all ages, of all backgrounds, and a topic that unites us all. Simply brilliant.' —Sir Jeremy Farrar, Chief Scientist, World Health Organization

'Taking a look under the bonnet of the human body, John Tregoning outlines how far we’ve come with medicine, and how far there may yet be to go if we are going to Live Forever.' —Al Murray

'A thoughtful and highly accessible book from one of the UK's leading bioscientists, that presents a look at healthy living from an honest and balanced perspective.' —Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, former Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England

‘Warm, uplifting and laugh-out loud funny. But make no mistake, this is also a profound journey through countless frontiers of modern science, jam-packed with big ideas about what it takes to live well and be happy. Ostensibly about death, what comes across is a passion for life.’ —Daniel M. Davis, author of The Beautiful Cure and The Secret Body

'Dr Tregoning returns with another wonderful book about life, death, the body and pretty much everything else. Live Forever? is witty, insightful, detailed without being overwhelming for the non-scientist, and deeply thought-provoking. I read it with bated breath and then went and rethought a whole host of my life choices. While often alarming in its clear-eyed examination of the things that might kill us and the inevitability of death, the author holds your hand throughout and keeps the subject light-hearted, optimistic and often laugh-out-loud funny. Essential reading for anyone who's not immortal.' —Frank Turner

‘Utterly brilliant. Tregoning manages to make scientific scepticism both hilarious and life-affirming. Madcap self-experiments and a healthy sprinkling of toilet humour compound to make a wonderful introduction to human biology and the scientific method.’ —Dr Monty Lyman, author of The Immune Mind

‘The starting point for John Tregoning’s Live Forever? is John wondering about how he might die and whether he can do anything about it. Despite the seriousness of the topic this is an at times hilarious account of all the things we might die from... With the media full of advice on how to live a healthy life, and billions being spent on research into how to slow ageing, Live Forever? is exactly the book we need to understand our own mortality and what we can do to live a long and healthy life.’ —Luke O’Neill, author of Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here’s the Science

From the Publisher