Longevity, Aging and DNA
Aging is a part of everyday life. It is guaranteed to happen to everyone, eventually we all get old develop diseases slow down and eventually die of old age. We all understand it, but what if we actually don’t understand it and what if things didn’t have to be this way, what if we could slow down the clock and even turn it back. Researchers are developing ways to unlock the tools within own body to us, exactly for that.
The most important research carried out was on the epigenome. So what is an epigenome? In short, it is responsible for coiling up and turning on and off parts of a DNA string as required, depending on the parts of the DNA that is turned on and off means; the difference between creating a skin cell versus a nerve cell. Our DNA is effectively the code which tells our cells what to be. As we age, researchers believe that our DNA epigenomes unravel and other parts weren’t meant to be quelled becomes so effectively, and our bodies begin to create the wrong cells in the wrong places.
Aging is in fact something that our DNA tracks very accurately and quantitatively. This is how it’s done. DNA is made up of four different components called nucleobases, they are; A, C, T and G. They are paired together to make the famous double helix structure. Over the course of our lifetime, methyl groups which are just a carbon with three hydrogen’s, begin to attach to the C components of our DNA.
By measuring your DNA through a blood sample or a mouth swab, scientists with the help of AI can tell exactly how old you are based on how many methyl groups you have. This is called the Horvath clock. It is extremely accurate and can even predict when you will die. This is a recent discovery and it is not just an accurate measure of biological age, however, researchers believed that the clock itself is part of the aging mechanism. Hence, physically being able to dial back the hands of the clock could mean becoming physically younger. However, this appears to be one of many interconnected mechanisms that control aging.
Over our lifetime, epigenetic information is lost, much like a CD gets scratched over time and begins to glitch. The old theory was that our DNA information gets lost over time as we succumb to entropy. In the old theory, the damage comes through free radicals, oxidization, DNA mutations and damage. Researchers believe that we should throw that theory out. It is not the loss of DNA itself, but the on and off switches on our DNA, so is there a way to polish our genetic CD and get the information back, and if we push the reset button, how many times can we do it, Is there a limit?
The promising research being carried out now and in the future, will bring us a lot of good news, and in some word, the dream of longevity may become a reality.
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