Aging Matters
My title is taken from a well-known but less-well-authenticated quote from Max Planck: “Science progresses funeral by funeral.” Planck discovered the quantum principle in 1899, before the the physics world was ready for it. Eventually he was hailed as a visionary; but we can imagine his frustration when the smartest physicists in the world were … Read more
Do populations in nature self-regulate? I believe so, and have adduced evidence from field studies and from computer simulations. Indigenous human societies, too, effectively kept our numbers in check for our first million years during which people were part of nature. Now people have moved on from nature, and we’ve lost the intuitions that helped … Read more
Vaccines are all designed to immunize against a specific disease. But vaccines also have important non-specific effects. Danish epidemiologist Christine Stabell Benn, MD has devoted her career to studying these effects. Link to TED talk Last week, Dr Stabell Benn was interviewed for DrJay Bhattacharya’s podcast. Everything below (except where signed by my initials) is sourced … Read more
A study out of Nanjing University last month brings exosome rejuvenation to the mainstream of researchers with broad new evidence and some speculations on mechanisms. The prominent publication in Nature Aging corroborates and greatly expands results from Harold Katcher’s Mumbai lab. Massive infusions of exosomes from young mice into old improve cognition, endurance, fertility, energy metabolism, heart … Read more
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