The processes that control senescence have been the subject of more then
a century of serious biological research. Two institutions closely
involved in this programme, the Society for the Study of Human Biology
and the British Society for Research in Ageing, held a joint symposium
in 1984 to consider human ageing and longevity from an interdisciplinary
point of view. The resulting book has four main sections: the evolution
and genetics of ageing, biological age assessment, demographic and
social aspects, and the nutritional and physiological aspects of ageing
and longevity. The fundamental nature of the subject will generate
interest across a wide range of biological and medical disciplines.