Sue Armstrong tells the story of society's quest to understand aging through the eyes of the scientists themselves, as well as through the "ordinary" people who exemplify the mysteries of ageing--from those who suffer from the premature aging condition, Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome, to people still running marathons in their 80s. Borrowed time investigates such mind-boggling experiments as transfusing young blood into old rodents, and research into transplanting the first human head, among many others. It will explore where science is taking us and what issues are being raised from a psychological, philosophical and ethical perspective, through interviews with, and profiles of, key scientists in the field and the people who represent interesting and important aspects of aging.

A question of definition -- Wear and tear? -- Telomeres: the ticking clock in our cells down but not out: senescent cells -- Old before their time -- CMing the mollusc and other models -- It's in the genes -- Eat less; live longer -- Epigenetics and stem cells -- The ageing immune system -- The sting in the tail of HIV/AIDS -- The Big D: familial Alzheimer's disease -- Broken brains --Turning back the clock.