Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Biological aging is no longer an unsolved problem.

Leonard Hayflick1

  • 1Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, P.O. Box 89, The Sea Ranch, CA 95497, USA. len@gene.com

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|April 27, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Don't abandon 14-day limit on embryo research, it makes sense.

Nature·2021
Same author

The greatest risk factor for the leading cause of death is ignored.

Biogerontology·2020
Same author

Subject of The Vaccine Race offers perspective on errors.

Lancet (London, England)·2018
Same author

Robin Holliday (1932–2014).

Biogerontology·2014
Same author

Paying for tissue: the case of WI-38.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2012
Same author

Dietary restriction: theory fails to satiate.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2010
Same journal

Multiomics Profiling During Autoimmune Demyelination Highlights a Complex Regulatory Role for Ataxin-1 in B Cells.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·2026
Same journal

Global Trends in Light Pollution and Their Relationship With Socioeconomic Factors.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·2026
Same journal

Wired for Corruption: Inter-Brain Synchrony Encodes Bribery-Related Value Information and Predicts Bribery Agreement.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·2026
Same journal

LM-YOLO: A Lightweight Multi-Scale Enhanced Model for Forest Smoke Detection Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·2026
Same journal

Polyrhythm Perception and Production: A Scoping Review.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·2026
Same journal

DARTS-CNN-BiLSTM: Intelligent Fault Diagnosis for Computer Numerical Control Machine Tool Feed System.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·2026
See all related articles

Aging is not a biological mystery. It stems from molecular instability, not genetic programming. Understanding this fundamental process is key to longevity research and distinct from treating age-related diseases.

Area of Science:

  • Biology of Aging
  • Molecular Biology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Theories of aging are often debated, with a need to define key phenomena: aging, longevity determinants, age-associated diseases, and death.
  • Two proposed mechanisms for aging are genetic programming or stochastic (random) events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish a fundamental theory of aging based on molecular changes.
  • To distinguish aging from age-associated diseases for accurate scientific policy and research funding.
  • To identify the primary drivers of aging and longevity.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of existing theories and evidence regarding aging mechanisms.
  • Definition and differentiation of aging phenomena from age-associated diseases based on universal characteristics.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examination of molecular etiology and thermodynamic instability as core aging factors.

    • Main Results:

    • Evidence suggests aging is driven by a loss of molecular fidelity and thermodynamic instability, not genetic programming.
    • Longevity is determined by the fidelity of molecules post-reproductive maturation, governed by the genome.
    • Aging exhibits universal characteristics across species and matter, unlike specific diseases.

    Conclusions:

    • Aging is a fundamental biological process rooted in molecular thermodynamic instability, not a programmed event.
    • Distinguishing aging from age-associated diseases is crucial for directing research and policy effectively.
    • Further research into molecular changes underlying aging is essential for understanding and addressing age-related pathologies.