Steven N. Austad, Ph.D., is the Protective Life Endowed Chair in Healthy Aging Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, as well as a Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Biology (UAB). He is also the co-director of the UAB Integrative Center for Aging Research and the director of Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in Basic Biology of Aging Presso UAB.
Austad’s multi-award-winning research employs both laboratory and field investigations on a variety of traditional and nontraditional animal species to find fundamental causes of aging with the long-term objective of creating therapies that halt the age-related decline in human health.
Works
Dr. Austad is enthusiastic about communicating science to the general public. He has written over 150 essays and op-eds for print and electronic media in that capacity. He previously served on the Science Advisory Board of National Public Radio and has been a consultant for aging exhibitions to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (Portland, Oregon), Perot Museum of Nature and Science (Dallas, Texas)
at the American Museum of Natural History (New York City).
He has authored popular scientific pieces for magazines such as Natural History, Scientific American, National Wildlife, and International Wildlife. Why We Age (1997, 1999) is his best-selling book that has been translated into eight languages. Methuselah’s Zoo: What Nature Can Teach Us About Living Longer, Healthier Lives (MIT Press), his most recent book, will be released in 2022.
Social Media
Read more about the Author here.
Inspiring Talks by Steve Austad
Interview
Notable quotes
- “Working on the index of my forthcoming book, Methuselah’s Zoo. Here is a tip for aspiring authors — pay someone else to do your index.”
- “If the body is a machine that simply wears out, why do some cells seem immortal?”
- “Is there an aging gene? And can we control it?”
- “Can antioxidants and hormone therapy actually slow the aging process and extend life?”
- “Ah, another 295 K spring day. Perfect for a stroll in the woods.”
- “At this death rate for a year, COVID would kill more people (overwhelmingly the unvaccinated) than cancer, approaching heart disease #’s.”
- “Can’t think of a better Xmas present than watching the launch of the James Webb space observatory.”
- “Yuichiro Miura holds the record for oldest person to climb Mt. Everest, achieving it at the age of 80 years, 224 days.”
- “Someone – anyone – asked Dan Quayle for advice? The end is near.”
- “At a time when ICU beds are being rationed, can someone tell me why voluntarily unvaccinated COVID patients aren’t placed at the end of the queue?”