DailyDirt: Aging Gracefully

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The topic of aging is a widely-studied one -- presumably because everyone ages and it's one of the leading causes of death. There's no cure for aging just yet, but scientists are collecting more information on the process of aging. Once the process is understood more thoroughly, there might be ways to treat it and extend human lifespans. Here are just a few more links on the subject of aging and possible ways to prevent it. If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: aging, biotech, brooke greenberg, death, health, hendrikje van andel-schipper, hli, lifespan, longevity, stem cells, syndrome x
Companies: human longevity inc


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • icon
    Charles (profile), 28 Jul 2014 @ 6:04pm

    Syndrome X

    I just read the article on Syndrome X and highly recommend it. It is a long, but worthwhile, read.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Beta (profile), 28 Jul 2014 @ 8:11pm

    the power of a bad headline

    I read the article on Syndrome X. It's interesting, but the headline is misleading. The Syndrome involves a disruption of development, with different systems evolving at different rates (e.g. rapid deterioration of the telomeres, but retarded mental development). These girls don't remain bouncy little children for 90 years, they grow in a disordered way and die young.

    This syndrome may tell us a lot about development and gene regulation, but the people who refer to it as "the key to halting the aging process" seem to be indulging in pure wishful thinking.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    kender, 28 Jul 2014 @ 8:36pm

    syndrome x

    so, I'm almost afraid to ask, morbid curiosity will have to suffice....just how DID they discover that the 115 yr old woman only had two active stem cells left? It seems rather precise to determine, was she, um, "dissected" after her death?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Groaker (profile), 29 Jul 2014 @ 6:57am

    Aging may being studied, but it is one of the least understood processes. The (lack) of understanding of the role that cholesterol plays is quite demonstrative of the field as a whole.

    Cholesterol is the basis of the synthesis of steroid hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, etc -- all necessary for sexuality and reproduction. That is just to get your attention, as cholesterol also forms the basis for a great many other processes. It is totally necessary for animal life as we know it.

    The journey to understand the atherosclerotic process has been an interesting one over my lifespan. First total cholesterol was seen as the villain, and margarine in stick form was seen as the saviour. But after decades of adhering to the replacement of butter by stick margarine, it was discovered that the trans-fats present in solid margarines were often more dangerous that the cholesterol in butter.

    Cholesterol, an insoluble waxy notched crystal, itself has been discovered to be present in a number of forms so that it can be carried in the bloodstream. It came to be known that cholesterol was carried as chylomicrons, VLDL, IDL, LDL and HDL. Over the years the cholesterol transported by the lighter lipoproteins (LDL in particular) came to be known as "bad cholesterol," and HDL is known as "good cholesterol."

    More recent work has studied the fractionation of what was known as "good cholesterol" or HDL. Not all the fractions are protective as has been recently thought. There is dysfunctional HDL that is not "good." HDL fractionation is new enough, and still so poorly understood, that it is not available for most clinical purposes.

    What all this means is that atherosclerosis as a result of cholesterol levels is a heck of a lot more complicated than anyone thought 30 years ago. I suspect that 30 years from now, today's understanding will be deemed as trivial.

    Is this a license to eat bacon by the sow belly? Unfortunately no. Half of all deaths from heart attacks are the result of excess cholesterol levels that can be easily controlled. But we are no where near a true understanding of the role that cholesterol alone plays in cardiac disease, and there are many other factors involved in the development of atherosclerosis.

    I have discussed just one slice of one form of aging. It is an incredibly complex process that has no simple answers. A mystery that will yield its secrets only with great research, patience and time.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    robert spano, 29 Jul 2014 @ 9:15am

    who pays for all the old people

    So if everyone lives longer they will need to retire later? and who is going to pay for all this? I can just see all the centenarian dating sites - notdeadyet.com

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 29 Jul 2014 @ 9:23am

      Re: who pays for all the old people

      You don't really think just anybody is going to be able to afford to live longer do you?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      John Fenderson (profile), 29 Jul 2014 @ 9:43am

      Re: who pays for all the old people

      If people live longer (and that longer life is actually healthy and productive life) then retiring later is the natural outcome. Most people are happier when they are active and contributing, and would choose to retire later.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Groaker (profile), 29 Jul 2014 @ 9:53am

    And just what is the problem with centenarians dating, or for that matter having sex. My father celebrated his 94th bday with two hookers. We "children" only found out by accident. Some people are scandalized by this. I am happy that he was still able to enjoy himself. That he had an interest in life rather than sitting around until he died.

    I also hope that I got the better side of his genes.

    While the average lifespan has increased markedly, the average age at death if someone has already lived past 40 hasn't changed all that much. Prior to the industrial revolution two out of three children died prior to the age of five. After the industrial revolution and the initiation of public health that changed to 1 in three. In 2012 in the US it was 7 out of a thousand. Big impact on the averages.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      John Fenderson (profile), 29 Jul 2014 @ 10:07am

      Re:

      "Some people are scandalized by this."

      Only because they think there's no chance that their own 94th birthdays would approach such a level of awesome.

      link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.