
Ageing
An educational and information resource on the science of aging
by Dr. João Pedro de Magalhães
"We owe almost all our knowledge not to those who have agreed but to those who have differed."
Charles Caleb Colton
Aging, or senescence, is the major cause of suffering, disease, and death in modern times. With the worldwide graying of the population, we are now aging for a longer period of time than ever before. Gerontology, and its sub-field biogerontology in particular, is the science that studies the aging process to prevent age-related disease and degeneration, preserve health, and prolong human life. senescence.info aims to highlight the importance of research on aging and give an overview of current knowledge on the biology and genetics of aging, including anti-aging therapies, models and theories of aging. The goal of gerontology is to develop interventions that allow people to live longer, healthier lives. The ultimate, even if distant, goal is to develop a cure for aging, and the social implications of a radical increase in human lifespan due to scientific breakthroughs are also discussed.
senescence.info is aimed at a vast audience and includes tutorials for the non-specialist. Though of course my personal points of view are more prevalent, I try to mention different perspectives, even if I do not agree with them. Although senescence.info is not peer-reviewed, it is used as a reference by scientists and students in the field and recognized as a major knowledge and information website on the aging process; as evidence of its academic standing, senescence.info has been highlighted in Science (307:187), Aging Cell (8:65) and Nucleic Acids Research (41:D1027).
I have been studying aging for over 20 years. Following training at Harvard Medical School, I moved to England and I am currently Chair of Molecular Biogerontology at the University of Birmingham in the UK. You can find more information about me and my work in my personal website and in my lab's website.
The ultimate goal of my work, of which senescence.info is a part, is to cure aging. In this website, I have two main objectives: 1) to highlight the importance of research on aging; 2) to offer an overview of current research on aging and longevity that is accessible to anyone with a basic understanding of science. As such, senescence.info is divided into two main sections. First, there is a section for visitors, whose goal is to put forth and demonstrate the importance of research on the basic biology of aging. Then there is a more technical section dealing with the biology of aging, which combines essays ranging from general observations and concepts in the field to more detailed discussions of theories and hypotheses of aging. In addition to these two sections, there is also a section on a global view of research on aging and its impact on society. I hope my website, started in 1997, can enlighten visitors from different backgrounds about this mysterious process called aging and why research on aging must be a top priority for modern societies.
"Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul."
Will Durant
Below you can find an introduction to the biology of aging, its importance, potential implications and career advice. The process of aging affects not only those who are experts in this area, it affects everyone. Age-related diseases like cancer, heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases are still incurable and everyone becomes frailer with age. Not surprisingly, a large proportion of people looking for information on aging are non-experts who start to feel the weight of the years and want to fight this debilitating process, as well as many students curious about the mysteries of why we age. The objective of this section is to provide an introduction to the field of aging, its importance, and its potential, aimed at the non-specialist.
An introduction essay on aging and the ongoing efforts to cure aging, originally published in The Futurist.
Another introduction essay on aging and genetics, originally published in The Conversation and republished by The Independent.
Presents and discusses the most popular longevity therapies.
Reviews and discusses CR facts and products trying to mimic its effects.
I debate several myths about aging and whether we should aim to cure aging.
Offers career advice for students.
Book suggestions and reviews for students and researchers.
Aldous Huxley
"Aging and death do seem to be what Nature has planned for us. But what if we have other plans?"
Bernard Strehler
This section consists of a series of scientific essays on the biology of aging. They provide an overview of the science, methods, challenges and discoveries and offer a summary of our current understanding of human aging. Although essays for the non-specialist are available elsewhere on senescence.info, I tried to make this section generally accessible to anyone with a basic background in biology, including undergraduates. Some essays are more detailed than others, however, and there is the occasional discussion that can be quite technical. A glossary is available to help readers. Since these essays review the most important aspects of the biology of aging, they could also be useful for researchers. (I use them myself as a reference and recommend them to my students.) These essays were also the basis of a review of mine that serves as an introduction to the biology of aging and may be useful to readers seeking a briefer overview of gerontology (de Magalhaes, 2011). A few individual essays have also served as basis for my own publications and obviously inform and are informed extensively by my papers.
I start this section with some definitions of basic terms and concepts and an overview of what is human aging, which I recommend that you read in order to better understand the other essays. In fact, the essays follow a logical sequence which I recommend that you follow, particularly if you are unfamiliar with the biology of aging. Of course, many readers access just one essay of interest, and cross-links between essays help readers navigate through different topics. Still, readers familiar with general observations related to the model systems used in aging research and the genetics of aging will find it easier to understand the entire section, so I recommend at least reading those two essays--plus the basic definitions--if you are new to the field.
Some of these essays are based on my academic publications. I tend to cite my papers often for the simple reason that I am more familiar with them, but I try to provide a general perspective on various findings and theories even if I do not agree with them. Further references (about 1,000 of them) are cited in the bibliography in case you want further details concerning the experiments described or ideas presented.
Thanks to David Bahry, available is also a printer-friendly version (last updated in August 2013) of this entire section
Defines the basic concepts in the study of longevity and aging.
A look at the diverse lifespans and aging phenotypes found in nature.
Presents trends found in comparative studies of aging.
Debates the models and hypotheses put forward to explain how aging evolved.
Introduces and discusses the different model organisms used to study human aging.
Cellular models of aging and the rationale behind them.
Presents the telomeres, their maintenance mechanisms, and their relation to human aging.
Discusses the genetic and mechanistic basis of human aging.
Offers an overview of the predominant causal theories of aging.
Introduces and discusses theories of aging based on damage accumulation.
Introduces and discusses theories of aging based on programmed events.
Presents possible approaches to retard and reverse human aging.
Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence or SENS is a proposal to cure aging which is appraised here.
Speculations on how we will be able to change ourselves onto non-aging organisms.
I am currently Chair of Molecular Biogerontology at the University of Birmingham in the UK where I lead the Genomics of Ageing and Rejuvenation Lab . Amongst other projects, we maintain the Human Ageing Genomic Resources, a collection of world-leading databases aimed at understanding the genetic basis of human aging.
Human Ageing Genomic Resources"A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving."
Albert Einstein
Only by working together can one aspire to make progress in science--and in life for that matter. This sphere pays tribute to the ones I owe my knowledge to and it highlights the many scientists, entrepreneurs and other professionals who are contributing to increase our knowledge regarding the science of aging. I also provide suggestions to those wishing to help fight aging, debate the potential social implications of curing aging and provide links and references to readers wishing to consult additional sources of information. For the latest news, findings and papers on the biology and genetics of aging, I maintain Twitter and Facebook pages.
If you are convinced of the importance and urgency of research on aging, of how aging may be curable one day, and how this should be one of society's priorities, there are many ways you can contribute. This brief essay offers advice on how you can help accelerate the pace of discovery on aging and life-extension.
Read MoreEnding aging entails multiple social, cultural, and economic consequences. If we were to develop a cure for aging tomorrow, the impact on humankind would be unprecedented. Some of the issues raised by a radical increase in longevity have been discussed elsewhere, and this essay further tackles the most important social and global issues derived from curing aging.
Read MoreNon-exhaustive list of definitions of terms used in gerontology and in senescence.info.
GlossaryCheck out what I've been writing about lately.
Ageing
Longevity
Stay updated with my latest tweets.
For feedback, suggestions, or inquiries related to senescence.info, your input is valued and appreciated. I welcome all types of feedback, including criticisms, suggestions, and ideas.
j.p.magalhaes#bham.ac.uk (# = @)