Why do some of us age gracefully and others don’t? How do our bodies and minds experience aging at the cellular and molecular level? Why do we even age to begin with? And maybe most importantly, can we do anything about it? Join host Gordon Lithgow at the Buck Institute in California as he speaks with some of the brightest scientific stars on the planet to search for – and actually find answers to – these questions and many more.
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Gordon and Stella revisit key concepts from the conversation with Arne Akbar, such as using sestrins to modulate T-cells and telomeres. Looking back over the course of season one, Stella and Gordon discuss the need to think about aging as an organizing principle, and how to deal with all the things we don't yet know.Stay tuned for season two!Support the show
What role does the immune system play in aging? How do senescent cells evade it and promote inflammation? And what does it reveal about developing effective interventions? Immunologist Arne Akbar joins Gordon to break down the array of actors and pathways involved, including sestrins, immune memory, the gut microbiome, and more. Along the way, Arne highlights the need to connect across research areas, and shares why courage is the most important quality for a scientist to cultivate.Support the show
After the conversation with Monica Driscoll, Gordon and show editor Stella connect to discuss the link between cell death and aging, what we can learn from sending worms to space, and the need for personalized medicine in aging interventions. Finally, they look forward to the next episode with immunologist Arne Akbar.Support the show
How do different cells in our bodies age differently? What exactly happens when a neuron takes out its trash? In this episode, neuroscientist Monica Driscoll takes Gordon on a tour through her serendipitous career. Topics include sloppy developmental biology, enigmatic exophers, worms in space, and the importance of studying things no one else is thinking about.Support the show
After a wide-ranging conversation with Nir Barzilai, Gordon and show editor Stella discuss efforts to turn research on geroprotective mechanisms into effective interventions, and look forward to the next episode with neuroscientist Monica Driscoll.Support the show
Is aging truly inevitable? Can we study the genetics of long-lived people to learn how to delay or reverse aging? In this episode, Gordon talks with Dr. Nir Barzilai about his research on centenarians, insulin signaling pathways, and moving aging interventions out of the lab and into the clinic. Support the show
Gordon and show editor Stella revisit key concepts from the conversation with Linda Partridge, such as what we can learn from evolutionary biology and how to harness biological processes like autophagy. Looking ahead, they anticipate discussing human clinical trials in the next episode with Nir Barzilai.Support the show
Aging appears to progress similarly across species, from worms and flies to mice and humans, and involves pathways related to early development. Guest Linda Partridge talks with Gordon while visiting the Buck Institute to discuss the evolutionary trade offs of aging mechanisms, the role of nutrient-sensing pathways, and how we might get the most benefit from preventative interventions in midlife.Support the show
Following the episode with Rhonda Patrick, Gordon and Stella discuss the complex relationship between stress and aging, and preview the next conversation with Linda Partridge.The show will return in January 2023. Happy Holidays!Support the show
What is the relationship between stress, metabolism, and aging? How can we use “good” stress to enhance our ability to weather the challenges of getting older? Guest Rhonda Patrick has investigated the biology of aging and related lifestyle interventions throughout her multifaceted career. In this episode she joins Gordon to explore insights from studies on nutrition, exercise, inflammation, psychological stress, and more, as well as the crucial role of science communicators in today's media.Support the show
Gordon and Stella revisit the discussion with Judy Campisi to understand the role senescence plays in aging, and look forward to the next conversation with longevity expert Rhonda Patrick.Support the show
Dr. Campisi has been at the forefront of studying cellular senescence for decades, revealing the mysteries of these not-exactly-dead cells and their role in many diseases of aging. In this episode, she joins her colleague Gordon to discuss the characteristics and function of senescent cells, as well as promising interventions on the horizon. Judy also describes how to get lucky in science by being prepared to see the unexpected.Support the show
Gordon and show editor Stella revisit highlights from the conversation with David Sinclair, and get ready for the next episode with Judy Campisi.Support the show
Is life essentially an information process driven by biochemical interactions? If so, can we simply correct any errors in that process? In this episode, renowned researcher and author David Sinclair joins Gordon to dive into the startling insights from applying information theory to aging. Topics include epigenetics, sirtuins, metabolism, and why we might not want to kill all the zombies. Support the show
Host Gordon and show editor Stella connect over Zoom to discuss the highlights of Gordon's conversation with Steve Austad, the renowned biologist, and look ahead to the next episode with David Sinclair.Support the show
When we think of aging, we typically think of human aging, but the biological processes that cause cellular damage are shared by many species. Few people have investigated the biology of aging across the animal kingdom as deeply as researcher and author Steve Austad. In our first episode, Steve and host Gordon Lithgow explore some fundamental questions: What makes some animals live longer than others? What can we learn from other species to age better? And why do we age at all in the first place?Support the show
Introducing a new podcast from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging: We're not getting any younger... yet. Join host Gordon Lithgow to investigate the biology of aging in interviews with leading researchers from across the field. Subscribe to download new episodes each Wednesday.Support the show