Category Archives: Aging

Research: New Scientist Magazine – August 26, 2023

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New Scientist Magazine (August 26, 2023): This issue features ‘Reclaim your Privacy’ – The alarming new ways you’re being tracked online and more…

EnvironmentHow we broke the water cycle and can no longer rely on rain to fall

HealthUnravelling the secrets of the vagus nerve will revolutionize medicine

TechnologyNowhere to hide: Data harvesters came for your privacy – and found it

SpaceAliens on low-oxygen worlds may never discover fireRead the latest issue

Research: New Scientist Magazine – August 12, 2023

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New Scientist Magazine August 12, 2023 issue: The Four Ways to Age; Can Quantum Simulations ever be real?; Heaviest animal ever; Spotting Saturn’s Rings; Concrete batteries; Finding Homo Naledi and more…

How working out your ageotype could help you live healthier for longer

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Your body is ageing down one of four – or more – possible pathways. Figuring out your “ageotype” could help you zero in on the things you can do to stay healthier for longer

By Graham Lawton

THERE is a (probably apocryphal) story about Henry Ford sending agents out to junkyards across the US in search of scrapped Model Ts. The famous industrialist wanted to know which of the car’s vital components failed first, so he could do something about it. The agents reported back that every bit of the car was susceptible to failure, but some were more susceptible than others, except for one – a component of the steering system called the kingpin, which almost never failed. They expected Ford to announce plans to extend the working lives of the weaker components. Instead, he ordered his engineers to make less resilient kingpins. No point wasting good money on a component that always outlived the others.

Cave of Bones review: Lee Berger on the discovery of Homo naledi

Sewage crisis: The truth about British rivers and how to clean them up

From time crystals to wormholes: When is a quantum simulation real?

Energy-storing concrete could form foundations for solar-powered homes

Scientists race to test claimed room-temperature superconductor

Medical Technology: AI To Live Longer And Healthier

DW News (July 31, 2023) – While large language models like chatGPT have captured global attention, a more hidden but equally revolutionary application of AI is unfolding in the realm of science.

Renowned researchers like Nir Barzilai have long advocated for a shift in focus towards curing aging itself, but recent advancements could allow us to harness the power of AI to living not just longer, but healthier lives.

In this video, we talk with the scientists behind the groundbreaking discoveries of new anti-aging molecules and visit a lab in Berlin where similar discoveries are made.

Reviews: “A New Way Of Thinking About Aging”

“People 50 and older hold the vast majority of wealth in the country, but we’re producing products and services for people who don’t have nearly as much money to spend…”

by Alexander Gelfand

April 27, 2023: Thanks to advances in medicine and public health, people are living longer, healthier lives. The world’s population of people 60 and older is growing five times faster than the population as a whole. Global life expectancy has doubled since 1900, and experts say that children born in developed countries now have a good chance of living to 100.

A “silver tsunami” is already sweeping the U.S. labor force: the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 36% of people ages 65–69 will remain on the job in 2024 — up significantly from the 22% who were working in 1994.

These longer-lived, longer-working individuals generate an ever-bigger slice of global GDP and control an expanding tranche of global wealth. In her recent book Stage (Not Age)Golden estimates that the “longevity economy” is worth more than $22 trillion — $8.3 trillion in the United States alone.

That may be a conservative figure: AARP (the organization formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons) estimates that people over 50 already account for half of consumer spending worldwide, or $35 trillion. (This range of figures may have to do with how “older adult” is defined: The term is variously used to refer to people over the ages of 65, 60, or — sorry, Gen Xers — 50.)

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Healthy Aging: ‘Outlive – The Science And Art Of Longevity’ By Peter Attia

Trained as an oncological surgeon, Attia became interested in longevity because he saw that the “Four Horsemen” worked against it: diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. All play a role in an unhealthy system, and all interrelate.

‘OUTLIVE – THE SCIENCE & ART OF LONGEVITY’ BY PETER ATTIA, MD

Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity - Kindle edition by Attia MD,  Peter . Health, Fitness & Dieting Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

A data- and anecdote-rich invitation to live better, and perhaps a little longer, by making scientifically smart choices.

If you have Type 2 diabetes, then your chances of developing heart disease, cancer, and neurological disorders increases, and if your goal is to live well in old age, then it behooves you to change your ways in order to keep your insulin reception levels in the clear. How to do so?

READ MORE AT KIRKUS REVIEWS

Aging: 34% Of The Elderly Feel ‘Socially Isolated’

Changes in feelings of social isolation, 2018-2023

In 2023, one in three adults age 50–80 (34%) reported feeling isolated from others (29% some of the time, 5% often) in the past year. This represents a marked decline compared with the 56% (43% some of the time, 13% often) who felt isolated in 2020, but a greater proportion than the 27% (22% some of the time, 5% often) who reported feeling isolated in 2018.

National Poll On Healthy Aging (March 2023) – More than one in three older adults (37%) reported feeling a lack of companionship (29% some of the time, 8% often) in the past year, compared with 41% (32% some of the time, 9% often) in 2020, and 34% (26% some of the time, 8% often) in 2018.

One in three older adults (33%) reported infrequent contact (once a week or less) with people from outside their home in 2023 (14% once a week, 10% every 2–3 weeks, 9% once a month or less). This rate of infrequent contact was significantly less than the 46% reported in 2020 (19% once a week, 11% every 2–3 weeks, 16% once a month or less), but higher than the 28% reported in 2018 (15% once a week, 7% every 2–3 weeks, 6% once a month or less).

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Epigenetics & Aging: DNA Breakage & Repair Effects

Harvard Medical School – A 13-year international study in mice demonstrates that loss of epigenetic information, which influences how DNA is organized and regulated, can drive aging independently of changes to the genetic code itself.

It also shows that restoring the integrity of the epigenome reverses age-related symptoms.

Learn more at https://hms.harvard.edu/news/loss-epi…

Photography: National Geographic – January 2023

Picture of an older man skydiving surrounded by a yellow border and the words "Living longer–and better. How science could change the way we age."
At 69, skydiving instructor Arnold Camfferman stays active, one of the keys to longevity. As the world grows older, research into the field is soaring.

National Geographic Magazine – January 2023 issue:

• ​Can aging be cured? Scientists are giving it a try.
• A detailed look at how we age—at the cellular level
• We rallied to save manatees once. Can we do it again?
• How manatees eat 100 pounds of food a day
• This ancient Himalayan kingdom has been isolated from the world—until now
• Inside a 15th-century kingdom’s treasure-filled temple
• Bolivian skateboarders use Indigenous attire to battle discrimination

Aging: Healthy Longevity Journal – December 2022

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December 2022 issue:

Long COVID and older people

Long COVID is a poorly understood condition, with a wide spectrum of effects on multiple body systems and variable presentation in different individuals. Long COVID is of particular concern among older people (ie, aged 65 years or older), who are at greater risk than younger people of persisting symptoms associated with COVID-19. In addition, COVID-19 might trigger or exacerbate chronic conditions that occur commonly in older people, such as cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, neurodegenerative conditions, and functional decline.

Quantum Healthy Longevity for healthy people, planet, and growth

It is widely thought that lifespans are increasing globally. However, life expectancy has begun to stagnate in the UK, and is falling in more than 50 countries including the USA. Lifespan stagnation or decrease is a consequence of socioeconomic inequalities, lifestyle factors, and the COVID-19 pandemic. In the UK, the National Health Service spends vast sums treating chronic diseases; by some estimates, 40% of its costs go to treating preventable conditions.

Is age-related hearing loss a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia?

The relationship of measures of age-related hearing loss such as pure-tone autiometry might not be as consistently associated with risk of dementia as previous studies have suggested. Peripheral age-related hearing loss has been posited as a midlife risk factor for dementia.

REVIEWS: THE TOP 5 ARTICLES ON HEALTHY AGING IN 2022

National Institute on Aging – As 2022 comes to a close, NIA invites you to explore some of the most popular health information topics from this past year:

High Blood Pressure and Older Adults

— High blood pressure, or hypertension, is common in older adults. The good news is that blood pressure can be controlled in most people.

What Is Menopause?

 — Menopause is a normal part of aging for women, but it affects every woman differently.

Memory, Forgetfulness, and Aging: What’s Normal and What’s Not?

 — As you age, you may wonder about the difference between normal, age-related forgetfulness and a serious memory problem, such as dementia.

Shingles 

— Shingles is a disease that triggers a painful skin rash. About one in three people will get shingles, but there is a vaccine for older adults to help prevent the disease.

Vitamins and Minerals for Older Adults

 — Vitamins and minerals are types of nutrients that your body needs to survive and stay healthy.