The Meaning of Death

Death is life’s most puzzling certainty. Why do we age and die? And what is the meaning of a life that will simply end? In much of the biological kingdom, scientists have discovered that aspects of aging and death are genetically regulated.

But what is the evolutionary value of aging and dying? Death is a reference point against which the meaning of a life is measured. Must we die, then, and what are the stakes as we contemplate a future in which our deaths may be radically postponed?