Aging Matters
Of the many species that outlive their fertility, lab worms (C elegans) take the cake. They stop laying eggs after two days, but they can go on to live for two more weeks. Did they miss school the day that the teacher was lecturing on Darwinian fitness? Or perhaps do the elders of their community … Read more
Spermidine is found naturally in many foods. Blood levels decline with age. Supplementation extends lifespan and healthspan in various species, and lowers mortality in human trials. I have been unable to find toxicity data or any downside to spermidine supplementation, except that the effective dosage may be impractical. “Consistently across species, extra supply of spermidine … Read more
Methylation clocks promise to revolutionize testing of anti-aging interventions in humans, by measuring their effectiveness in a few months instead of having to wait years to see if they affect mortality statistics. But there are signs that the clocks we have can be deceptive. I think this is because the clocks capture aspects of aging … Read more
The Levin laboratory has found the developmental blueprint that tells the embryo how it must grow. The language of morphology is not genetic or epigenetic, not biochemical at all, but bioelectric. If, as I and others have speculated, aging is an extension of development into a program of self-destruction, then maybe aging follows a bioelectric … Read more
I’ve learned a great deal from Dr Mercola over the years. His orientation toward natural approaches to long-term health, using diet and lifestyle in preference to pharmaceuticals, aligns with my own. I agree with most of what he has to say. So, when he launched a campaign vilifying seed oils in the diet, I stood … Read more
It would be just like me to tease you with a clever, ironic headline like this introducing a long, detailed analysis of the British mortality data. But in this case, I’m being serious. This article is about why I think the data are unreliable and unworthy of our credence. In August, the British Office of … Read more
The big news: (1) the active ingredient in E5 is exosomes. (2) Young exosomes retain their ability to rejuvenate across mammalian species lines. Work that remains: (1) calibrate a new generation of methylation clocks. (2) Combine removal of old exosomes with addition of young exosomes. Optimize dosage and timing of treatments. What is in E5, … Read more
Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) have only been studied in the 21st century. Think of them as natural lipid nanoparticles, or endogenous viruses. They transmit information around the body and they’re small enough to be exhaled and carried in the air to communicate with other individuals and even other species. EVs are encapsulated in fats that facilitate entry … Read more
The Yamanaka factors (four proteins, abbreviated OSKM) are a treatment that can completely reset any ordinary, functional cell into a pluripotent stem cell, able to regenerate tissues of any type. In the process, the cell loses epigenetic markers of age and reverts to an embryonic state. But differentiated cells are differentiated so they can be … Read more
There is still confusion about what happened during the Pandemic. The public health response was innovative, defying historic precedent. Was it effective? One reason it is hard to know is that the health records are administered by the same agency (CDC) that managed the pandemic. Death certificates are subjective, and the listed cause of death … Read more