From FreeBio


Why do some lifeforms age? And why do different lifeforms age at different rates? What is aging? Aging research attempts to better define and quantify the answers to such questions.

Molecular mechanisms of aging

ALife Boston talk by Joao Magalhaes

Despite its general interest not only to the academic community but also to medicine and the population in general, human aging is a poorly understood biological problem. We still do not know why different species of mammals age at different paces or, for instance, why humans age--in some cases much--slower than other primates. If at a genetic level our understanding of aging is still taking its first steps, at the molecular level it remains controversial: while many age-related changes have been described, there are multiple and conflicting theories regarding what mechanisms drive such changes. Most importantly, there is still no proven intervention capable of delaying, even if slightly, the human aging process. In this talk, I will provide an overview of current work to address these questions. Major mechanistic theories of aging will also be reviewed. Lastly, I will debate how we may be able to intervene in the human aging process, including therapies already being tested as well as potential interventions still in the drawing board.