Geroscience, the study of aging and age-related diseases, has become a popular area of research in recent years. Here, the focus is not on treating age-related illnesses, but preventing or delaying their onset by understanding the biological mechanisms underlying aging. In a recent study, researchers discovered that Cyrene, a plant-derived[Read More…]
Tag: aging
The unspoken crisis: How fears of aging are expressed in news reporting
With the prevalence of cosmetic procedures, skincare products, and diets aimed at reducing the effects of aging, and with tech entrepreneurs spending millions annually in the hopes of reversing the process, aging is often seen as something to be feared and prevented at all costs. Five years ago, when the[Read More…]
Precision physical activity: A prescription for exercising in older adults
How many times have you committed to a new exercise program, only to dejectedly realize one day that a month has gone by, and you have completely forgotten about all those overly ambitious resolutions you had made? Fear not, this article’s goal is not to guilt trip you, but rather[Read More…]
Honey, I shrunk the brains!
Aging is one of the few truly universal experiences, yet it is one of those things that no one really looks forward to. Along with visible signs like wrinkles and grey hair, however, comes a more insidious and harder-to-combat symptom: The decline of brain function. But according to a new[Read More…]
The surprising link between muscle mass and cognition
Most people are aware of the crucial role muscles play in keeping us alive and moving us around.What might be surprising to some, however, is that muscles also secrete hormones that affect the brain. The connection between these seemingly distinct organs led a team of researchers at the Research Institute[Read More…]
A ticking clock
Watching my parents get older is a sombre pastime. It’s hard getting acquainted with a greyer, achier, more weathered version of them each year. Both my parents and I have become unconsenting spectators, watching their list of health concerns grow longer and bodies get more tired. Time seems to move[Read More…]
Sex and longevity at the Trottier Public Science Symposium
The 2019 Trottier Public Science Symposium, hosted by the Office for Science and Society from Oct. 22 – 23, addressed the unavoidable process of aging in a presentation titled “Longing for Longevity.” The second night featured keynote speakers Joe Schwarcz, director of the office, and psychosexual therapist and author Ruth[Read More…]
Searching for the Fountain of Youth
Montreal community members crowded into the Redpath Museum Auditorium on Sept. 27 for a Freaky Friday lecture. In the talk, Professor Joe Schwarcz, Director of the McGill Office for Science and Society, discussed humanity’s historical attempts to delay aging. “Nobody looks forward to getting old,” Schwarcz said. “Historically, there has[Read More…]
Immortality in the natural world
Harry Potter fans know that Fawkes the phoenix’s fiery demise wasn’t the end of him; he was simply reborn from the ashes. Phoenixes, of course, are mythical creatures. Immortality in real animals is likely the stuff of fantasy. Yet, as it turns out, biological immortality only refers to creatures that don’t[Read More…]
Reaching the limits of the human lifespan
The longest any human being has ever lived was 122 years. Jeanne Calment of France, who rode a bicycle until age 100, passed away in 1997. Since then, no one has been recorded to live past 120 years. A paper published in the Oct. 2016 issue of Nature claims to have[Read More…]