Capricious Years: Notes of a Gerontologist

This book covers half a century of scientific life. Fascinating cultural memories bring to life lesser-known pages of the history of our country. Vladimir Nikolaevich Anisimov tells about his professional and personal formation: how he strove to become a doctor, studied at a medical school, then at the I Leningrad Medical Institute; how he defended his candidate and doctoral dissertations, yet—at the same time—he went to the virgin lands and to construction teams.

This audiobook is an example of solid memoir writing. It will be interesting to a wide range of listeners seeking a truthful account of Soviet times. But it is especially useful for future doctors and scientists: many of the situations described by the author have pedagogical value.

The technological revolution unfolding before our eyes in molecular biology and the decoding of genomes of organisms that differ significantly in lifespan open up new opportunities both for studying genetic foundations of longevity and for developing tools that prevent premature aging and improve the quality of life for older people. Corresponding member of the RAS, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, president of the Gerontology Society V. N. Anisimov develops the idea that longevity depends not only on the genes fate has given us, but also on our own choice of lifestyle.