Further studies are needed to determine whether K2-18b, which orbits a star 120 light-years away, is inhabited, or even habitable.
Dr. Aubrey de Grey reveals why reversing aging may be easier than slowing it down in this mind-expanding conversation that challenges conventional wisdom about human longevity. The renowned biomedical gerontologist outlines his damage repair approach that’s gaining mainstream scientific acceptance after initial skepticism.
The financial landscape of longevity research has dramatically transformed, with billions flowing into the space. Dr. de Grey provides an insider’s assessment of major players including HEvolution (Saudi-backed), Altos Labs (Bezos-funded), Calico (Google-funded) and Retro Biosciences (Sam Altman’s venture), offering candid insights about which approaches show the most promise and why Google’s Calico has struggled despite substantial resources.
Regulatory innovation emerges as a crucial accelerator for progress. Montana’s groundbreaking expansion of Right to Try legislation now allows anyone to access treatments that have passed FDA safety trials, while special economic zones like Prospera in Honduras are creating regulatory environments specifically designed for biomedical innovation. These developments could create the competitive pressure needed to modernize traditional regulatory structures worldwide.
At the LEV Foundation, Dr. de Grey is conducting a thousand-mouse study combining four different damage repair interventions in middle-aged mice, aiming for a full year of life extension—far beyond the four months typically achieved. Unlike conventional approaches that rely on dietary modifications, this ambitious project incorporates advanced cell and gene therapies that target multiple forms of age-related damage simultaneously.
Looking forward, Dr. de Grey offers his characteristic probabilistic prediction: a 50–50 chance of reaching \.
DNA sequences from the insulin-linked polymorphic region can form non-canonical structures. Here, the authors present a structural investigation into the relationship between native sequence variants and the different structures they form.
The p-Tau217 biomarker is one of the most exciting advances in neurology for decades, giving us a new opportunity to accurately predict and potentially prevent (or at least substantially delay) MCI and Alzheimer’s. That it rises so early in the course of the disease—which incubates over 20 years—gives us a long runway of opportunity to intervene, be it with lifestyle factors or drugs. I now refer to the former as lifestyle plus because it is no longer just about the details of diet, exercise and sleep. There are several other dimensions of modifiable factors.
An APOE4 allele or a polygenic risk score for Alzheimer’s tests are binary. They only tell us if a person has increased risk (yes or no) but not when. It makes a huge difference if that at age 98 or 68. With serial assessment of p-Tau217 (several months or years apart) as part of a comprehensive assessment using multimodal A.I., it is very likely that the temporal plot (see Figures under Question 2 above) can be defined at the individual level. I lay out the blueprint for this and lifestyle plus fully in Super Agers. Individuals with elevated p-Tau217 at high-risk many years before the onset of any symptoms creates a new path for surveillance and prevention. Multiple new drugs are in the pipeline to be part of a prevention program.
Even though it intuitively appears to be the case, more work needs to be done to determine whether lowering one’s p-Tau217 will alter the brain plaque progression and be seen as a disease-modifier. Clearly there is now a hunt for even better blood tests that may one day supersede p-Tau217 or be in a panel with it.
MXene, a nanomaterial used in battery technology and as a high-performance lubricant, was previously difficult and hazardous to produce. However, researchers at TU Wien have now developed new, safer methods for its production. One of the most groundbreaking trends in materials science is the stud
What can sub-Neptunes, which are exoplanets whose size is between Earth and Neptune, teach astronomers about exoplanet formation and evolution? This is wha | Space
Former urology instructor Seung-min Park won an Ig Nobel prize for his work on the Precision Health toilet, or “smart toilet.” Goals for the toilet include early disease detection and monitoring by analyzing excreta.
Once you get over the ick factor, new technologies are efficiently transforming human waste into agricultural solutions.
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Konishi, S., Ishibashi, S., Shimizu, S. et al. Sci Rep 13, 11,519 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38522-x.