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Steven Austad

Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Dr. Austad is a Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Scientific Director of the American Federation for Aging Research. In addition, he directs the NIH-supported UAB Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, one of only six such Centers in the United States. He is also the Co-director of the Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center and serves on the Executive Committee of the National Institute on Aging’s Research Centers Collaborative Network.

Dr. Austad’s current research seeks to understand the underlying causes of aging with a long-term goal of developing medical interventions that slow the age-related decay in human health. Dr. Austad is the author of more than 200 scientific peer-reviewed publications covering nearly every aspect of aging from cells to societies. Dr. Austad is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and of the Gerontological Society of America. He has received multiple prestigious awards for his research work.

The Bet

In 2000, when Steven Austad predicted in Scientific American that "The first 150-year old person is probably alive right now."

Jay Olshansky, another expert on ageing, didn't think so — and the scientists agreed to stake cash on the debate.

On 15 September 2000, they be each other $150 - putting that amount each into an investment fund. The final fund value will be paid to the winner or their descendants in 2150.

In 2016, both men felt even more confident in their views, so decided to up the ante to US$600.

Source: Nature, 2016

Visit website: https://www.uab.edu/cas/biology/people/faculty/steven-n-austad

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StevenAustad

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