Getting older might seem like a slow, gradual process – but research suggests that this is not always the case.

In fact, if you wake up one morning, look in the mirror, and wonder if your aging somehow accelerated, you might not be imagining things.

According to a 2024 study into the molecular changes associated with aging, humans experience two abrupt lurches forward, one at the average age of 44 and the other at around age 60.