General

A good deal of evidence points to declining kidney function as a cause of declining cognitive function in aging. There are strong correlations between loss of kidney function and risk of dementia, for example. Correlation isn't a smoking gun in matters of aging, however: it is possible for any one […]

Why hasn't the research and development community achieved greater progress towards solving the problem of hair loss with age, given the sizable interest in achieving this goal? One possible answer is that a hair follicle is a very complicated structure that undertakes a shifting pattern of behaviors over time. It […]

Enforced retirement is a great iniquity, in those countries where it exists. This is true of any attempt by the powers that be to thrust their idea of how a life should be lived onto tens of millions of people, all capable of making their own choices. Progress in medicine […]

Myelin is an insulator that sheaths the axons forming nervous system connections. It is essential to the correct electrochemical function of the nervous system. Severe conditions such as multiple sclerosis result when myelin is lost, degrading nervous system function to the point of disability and death. In normal aging, myelin […]

Researchers here show that signaling related to inflammatory regulation within a cell, undertaken in response to stress, can induce cellular senescence. Preventing the onset of the senescent state in response to some forms of stress may be beneficial, and indeed may be a part of the way in which therapies […]

Sirtuins are connected to the upregulation of cellular stress response mechanisms triggered by, for example, calorie restriction. Given the failure of past attempts to intervene in aging at the point of sirtuin 1, it may be that the influence of sirtuins on the pace of aging simply isn't large enough […]

Anemia is a lowered level of red blood cells and hemoglobin, leading to a diminished supply of oxygen to tissues and thus degraded function throughout the body. The anemia of aging, like all issues in later life, is a gradual onset, a sliding scale of dysfunction with an arbitrary line […]

Declining stem cell function is undoubtedly an important contribution to degenerative aging and age-related mortality. Tissues require the supply of new somatic cells that is generated by stem cells in order to replace losses, repair damage, and maintain function. Unlike stem cells, somatic cells are limited in the number of […]