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Aging

Most individuals born male have an X and a Y chromosome, while those born female have two X chromosomes. 

Loss of Y Chromosome in Mice May Lead to Heart Failure

A new study suggests the same loss in humans may lead to increased mortality

Kane Tanaka was born on January 2, 1903.

Kane Tanaka, World’s Oldest Person, Dies at 119

According to her family, the Japanese supercentenarian had been hospitalized and discharged repeatedly in recent weeks

The cat-sized, butter-colored rodents live about 15 years on average, a much longer lifespan than what is expected for their size.

Good News

Yellow-Bellied Marmot Hibernation Could Unlock the Key to Longevity

The fluffy rodents stop aging when they curl up in their dens for winter and start again once they emerge in spring

The artificial skin samples will sit in a custom device with a nutrient-filled liquid medium while they orbit in space aboard the ISS.

Scientists Will Study the Effects of Microgravity on Skin at the International Space Station

The experiment, using engineered skin samples, could lead to better skin care products

A queen Oecophylla smaragdina ant

How Can Ant and Termite Queens Live So Long?

Scientists are working to understand the matriarchs, who can survive decades while investing huge amounts of energy into reproduction

A bar proprietress drinks during her 101st birthday party at her tiny bar in Tokyo.

Old-Age Record Could Reach 130 by Century’s End

Analysis of supercentenarians suggests human lifespan may have no limit

Umeno Sumiyama (left) and Koume Kodama (right) with their official certificates

107-Year-Old Japanese Sisters Are the World’s Oldest Identical Twins

Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama were born on the island of Shodoshima on November 5, 1913

This photomicrograph reveals shows a type of Enterococcus bacteria. Strains of Enterococcus are commonly found in the gut.

Fecal Transplants May Reverse Brain Aging in Mice

Older rodents showed improved cognition and behavior after receiving a microbiome refresh from younger rodents

Here are 12 of the rarest doo-wop records ever made. “Can’t Help Loving That Girl of Mine” (1954) by Philadelphia’s Hide-A-Ways is, Shively says, the “holy grail of vocal group collecting.”

A Peek Inside the World’s Greatest Record Store

A lovable grouch, obsessed with the magic of American sidewalk harmony, runs the Philadelphia shop

In one clinical trial, Biogen's drug aducanumab showed that it could reduce beta-amyloid plaques and slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

FDA Approval of a New Alzheimer’s Drug Comes With Controversy

Aducanumab is the first approved drug that targets a possible underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease

Sister Andre, Lucile Randon celebrated her 117th birthday this year after surviving Covid-19.

New Research

Study Suggests 150 Years May Be the Human Lifespan’s Upper Limit

Researchers say beyond that age the body simply can no longer repair itself after normal stresses such as disease

Bats, whales, naked mole rats, elephants, albatrosses, certain dog breeds and a few other animals live unexpectedly long lives. Can scientists discover their secrets?

Why Scientists Are Studying the Genetic Tricks of the Longest-Lived Animals

Researchers are investigating how some species live unexpectedly long lives in order to pinpoint factors affecting human longevity.

The aged bathe in the restorative waters of the mythical fountain of youth in this 1546 oil painting by German Renaissance artist Lucas Cranach the Elder. Scientists have turned to studies of blood to identify a path to rejuvenating tissues damaged by the aging process.

In the Search to Stall Aging, Biotech Startups Are Out for Blood

A handful of companies are trying vastly different approaches to spin animal studies into the next big anti-aging therapy

Bodies lose their vigor with the passing of the years, but emotional well-being tends to improve, studies find. Among the observations: Though older people may have fewer social contacts, those they retain bring more satisfaction and meaning.

Why Do Older Individuals Have Greater Control of Their Feelings?

Psychologist Susan Turk Charles talks about findings that reveal the elderly have higher emotional well-being

Roosevelt Patterson greets his grandmother, Hester Ford, during her 111th birthday party. Ford was either 115 or 116 when she died on Saturday, April 17, 2021.

Hester Ford, the U.S.’ Oldest Living Person, Dies at 115—or 116

Born in 1904 or 1905, the supercentenarian lived through two World Wars, the civil rights movement and two major pandemics

Dementia is "the impaired ability to remember, think or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities," per the CDC.

New Research

Large Study Shows People With Dementia Are at Higher Covid-19 Risk

The condition may present both physical and social risk factors that make transmission more likely

Researchers caught an 81-year-old midnight snapper (Macolor macularis) like the one pictured here off the coast of Western Australia. The fish is the oldest coral reef fish ever discovered.

New Research

Researchers Catch Oldest Tropical Reef Fish Known to Science

Researchers caught the 81-year-old midnight snapper off the coast of Western Australia

Chitetsu Watanabe as a young man (left) and at age 112 (right)

Chitetsu Watanabe, the World’s Oldest Man, Dies at 112

The Japanese supercentenarian attributed his longevity to not getting angry and keeping a smile on his face

Ginkgo trees, which produce characteristic fan-shaped leaves, can live for thousands of years.

New Research

A Genetic Elixir of Life Helps Millennia-Old Ginkgo Trees Escape Death

These trees have developed an army of molecular weapons to stay healthy in old age

Researchers looked at smell tests taken by more than 2,200 people between the age of 71 and 82 years old.

New Research

Impaired Sense of Smell in the Elderly Is Linked With Risk of Death

A new study finds older people who score poorly on a sniff test are 46 percent more likely to die over the next 10 years, but researchers don’t know why

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