Dr Steve Austad is the Protective Life Endowed Chair in Healthy Ageing Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He spoke to Louise on a recent visit to Ireland. Dr Austad is currently seeking to understand the underlying cause of ageing with the long-term goal of developing medical interventions that slow the process. Steve is the author of hundreds of scientific articles on this topic, and his book ‘Why We Age’ has been translated into eight languages. His new book "Methuselah’s Zoo", details what nature can teach us about living longer, healthier lives, and will be released later this year.