Although this article is a bit dated, it sums up how I feel about this subject. The article states, "getting old is more than just getting wrinkles and not understanding today's teenagers." I believe that genetics plays a huge determining factor in aging. One key example mentioned is the degradation of our telomeres. Once these become too short or are no longer existent, the cells stop dividing and cannot repair themselves. This has been a huge issue in the science world and many studies are being performed to better understand this. Within the article it also touches on a lot of what Dr. Bronikowski discussed involving caloric limitations in mice. I would definitely like to learn more about how aging and genes relate to one another.
"Getting Old"
Corrine,
ReplyDeleteGreat point. I've been learning about telomere shortening ever since Biology 212 with Dr. Vleck, but I like your point that there is more to aging than just that. And wouldn't there still be other factors causing aging even if we found a way to stop telemore shortening? Very complex, but very interesting to think about.
Vera,
ReplyDeleteYou pose an interesting...
Corrine- thanks for your reflection on your article. "dated" isn't always a bad thing- sometimes what is current is just restating what we already know in a different way :) I thought it was actually in-tune with what Dr. Bronikowski mentioned!
I liked your article (better than mine) because it was fairly easy to understand what they were talking about, and I have little to no biology background and zero genetics background. It's also interesting to learn about all the different factors scientists are addressing regarding aging.
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