The Biology of Death

Why are most living creatures condemned to die "naturally" even when they have a favourable and protected environment? Is death a "useful" biological process or does it not correspond to any natural necessity? Biology has only recently begun to address these issues. However, today it provides a coherent and rigorous framework for interpreting death, its existence as mechanisms at the very heart of life. André Klarsfeld and Frédéric Revah take stock of all this research, which overturns many...