Undoing Aging

Aubrey discusses the implications of the different types of damage accumulating in our bodies and how aging research has evolved to focus on therapies rather than underlying mechanisms to help us reach the longevity escape velocity sooner.

Hydra are among the lucky few immortals, but not even all hydra manage to stay young indefinitely. We learn about regeneration, stem cells, aging, and cancer in these early life forms.

Somatic mutation theory is the dominant theory for why we decline. Jan describes the evidence and implications for therapies

Many believe that ageing and cancer are the same process, but several lines of evidence suggest that ageing and age-related diseases might have evolved to prevent cancer.

Aging is clearly detrimental, but perhaps our sacrifice has an unexpected benefit to our species. Would life be sustainable without aging, or would we all be undergoing obligatory calorie restriction? Josh describes his demographic theory of why we age.

I discuss the reasons why evolution causes animals to age and die despite reducing their evolutionary fitness. Professor Gems focusses on the idea that aging might be a program or programs that provide other advantages.

Quick intro: this is about the science of aging. Molecules, animals, therapies and more. Music from SoundHelix by T. Schürger.