Long before the usual physiological signs, the withering of neurons and the gradual atrophy of the brain, that tip doctors off to the presence of a ne...
Breaking skin: Tiny troublemakers in epidermal aging
That weathered, pruny exterior loved by photographers and loathed by nearly everyone else is, along with gray hair, perhaps the most easily recognizab...
In the media: Clones, condiments and canines
TIL that one of my favorite condiments, Liquid Smoke, is basically just like eating advanced glycation end products (AGEs). That and other gems can be...
James Peyer: “The 21st century will be defined by our struggle against the diseases of aging.”
“At what age would you like to get Alzheimer’s?” This was the question posed by venture capitalist, former stem cell biologist and G...
A bountiful harvest of research
Keeping one eye on your calories, and the other on that delicious-looking pumpkin pie? Don’t worry–your Thanksgiving sins probably wonR...
Cheat codes for youthful cells
For much of the 20th century, the prevailing wisdom was that once cells were fully differentiated, their identities were crystallized eternally–...
In the media: Salamanders, supercentenarians and Silicon Valley
Can we “unlock a human’s inner salamander” with stem cell therapies? 3D-printed organs, uploaded brains, and disease-fighting nanobo...
Out with the old, in with the… old?
Researchers at UNC Chapel Hill had an interesting mission: first, transform scar tissue (like the kind that forms after heart attacks) into ordinary c...
Research roundup: Scars into hearts, and more
We can reprogram existing scar tissue into healthy organ tissue, but we didn’t know what was actually going on inside these newly revitalized ce...
Diagnosis: Cursed?
The year is 1996, and you’re a doctor with a strange case on your hands. Actually, it’s not just one case–it’s an entire family with a collectio...