Hate to Burst Your Bubble

Do you feel like you age all of sudden? Did you feel like you aged a few years just reading today’s top stories? “Well, it turns out there may be a scientific basis for this experience. By analyzing age-related markers, such as proteins and DNA tags in the bloodstream, some scientists are coming to understand that aging in adulthood is not a linear process, but perhaps one that jumps dramatically at certain points in one’s life.” NYT: Do We Age Steadily, or in Bursts?

+ “If you’ve never heard of cellular reprogramming, you’re hardly alone. A relatively new field, it began with the jaw-dropping 2006 revelation that just four genes could return even the oldest, most decrepit cell to a state resembling youth.” (And it’s coming sooner than you think. But the potential list of side effects is too long to fit into a pharma television ad.) Gretchen Reynolds in WaPo (Gift Article): Inside the scientific quest to reverse human aging.