The Globe and Mail on Longevity Science
Mainstream articles on longevity science are slowly improving in quality - hopefully a sign of progress in advocacy for this research. From the Globe and Mail: "It's not pleasant to think about, but every cell type, every body part, has its own story of decline and decrepitude. Researchers [are] piecing together how we fall apart in the hope of finding ways to keep our bodies functioning well for longer. ... Figuring out a way to stop aging - or at least slow it down - is the modern version of Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon's quest for the fountain of youth. If researchers succeed, they could offer people the chance not only to live longer, but also to extend the healthy, active, even Olympian prime of their lives. ... Some researchers argue that aging is a simple matter of wear and tear. The average human lifespan has extended beyond 30 years only in the past couple of centuries. Different body parts are bound to break down in different ways now that we are regularly living past 80, half a century more than our hunter-gatherer ancestors. This damage is why age is a major risk factor in heart disease, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's. But others argue that aging is not the result of random breakdowns and failures but involves general processes common to many different cell types."
Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080801.wolympicage0802/BNStory/Science/home