It’s no secret that our waistlines often expand in middle age, but the problem isn’t strictly cosmetic. Belly fat accelerates aging and slows down metabolism, increasing our risk for developing diabetes, heart problems and other chronic diseases. Exactly how age transforms a six pack into a softer stomach, however, is murky.
Now preclinical research by City of Hope has uncovered the cellular culprit behind age-related abdominal fat, providing new insights into why our midsections widen with middle age.
Published today in Science, the findings suggest a novel target for future therapies to prevent belly flab and extend our healthy lifespans.
A new study reveals that immune resilience, a person’s ability to maintain a robust, youthful immune system, plays a critical role in promoting long-term health and extending life.
The political news these days is enough to make some Chicagoans wish they were a million miles away. But consider this: Even in the depths of space, there’s no escape from politics.
The $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope is literally parked 1 million miles away. In the nearly three years since it became operational, “Webb,” as it’s called, has made some incredible findings.
Webb uses infrared scanning to show how stars and galaxies form, and to study the atmospheres of distant planets. Its capabilities complement the aging Hubble Space Telescope, which orbits Earth at an altitude of only 340 miles or so.
Human cyborgs are individuals who integrate advanced technology into their bodies, enhancing their physical or cognitive abilities. This fusion of man and machine blurs the line between science fiction and reality, raising questions about the future of humanity, ethics, and the limits of human potential. From bionic limbs to brain-computer interfaces, cyborg technology is rapidly evolving, pushing us closer to a world where humans and machines become one.
Ali, A., Zhang, Z.D., Gao, T. et al. Identification of functional rare coding variants in IGF-1 gene in humans with exceptional longevity. Sci Rep15, 10,199 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-94094-y.
The first international conference on Cryonics in Israel, with presentations by heads of cryonics institutions globally00:00:00 — Opening remarks by Dr. Ilya…
A groundbreaking new AI system is exploring the limits of human potential, developing technologies that can enhance our physical and cognitive abilities. 🤖 By analyzing biological data and applying advanced engineering principles, the AI can identify ways to improve human performance.
How AI Enhances Human Abilities:
AI-powered human enhancement technologies can:
Enhance Physical Abilities: Increase strength, speed, and endurance. Improve Cognitive Abilities: Enhance memory, intelligence, and creativity. Extend Lifespan: Slow down the aging process and increase lifespan. The Ethical Implications:
Lower back pain is one of the most common chronic conditions of aging. In this Canadian study, senolytics were used to remove senescent cells and reduce lowe…
The pair decided to conduct a clinical trial that could be more compelling. In 12 people with early Alzheimer’s who took 3TC for 6 months, the drug didn’t boost cognitive abilities. But other indicators suggested some benefits, as Frost, Sullivan, and their colleagues revealed last month in npj Dementia. For instance, levels of one key neurodegeneration indicator dipped, suggesting 3TC protects patients’ brain cells. “That was the change I was most excited to see,” Frost says.
Their recent study was the first clinical test of an antitransposon strategy for Alzheimer’s to reach the finish line. But it’s just one of a growing number of trials launched by academic researchers and biotechs to gauge the effects of throttling transposons—so-called jumping genes. These vagrant sequences, some of which are relics of viruses that invaded cells long ago or may even be derived from symbiotic bacteria, make up more than 40% of the human genome but were once seen as largely harmless. However, a variety of evidence from human cell lines, lab animals, and epidemiological studies has implicated their antics in illnesses such as lupus, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and cancer, as well as in aging.
Encouraging results are trickling in. In 2022, a phase 2 trial determined that 3TC halted tumor growth in some patients with colorectal cancer. Last year, Transposon Therapeutics revealed that a different drug that stymies replication of these sequences slowed one sign of physical decline in people with ALS or another neurodegenerative disease, frontotemporal dementia. “It’s really amazing how quickly the story has developed,” says John Sedivy, a molecular biologist at Brown and the company’s co-founder.
A new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Columbia Butler Aging Center suggests that risk factors and biomarkers related to Alzheimer’s disease are associated with cognition much earlier in life than previously recognized. The study highlights significant associations between cognition and Alzheimer’s disease risk factors as young as ages 24 to 44 and underscores the importance of early prevention.
This is the first study to systematically examine Alzheimer’s disease risk factors, including biomarkers related to cognitive impairment in a large group of generally healthy middle-aged individuals in the U.S. The findings are published in The Lancet-Regional Health Americas.
“Previously, research on Alzheimer’s disease risk factors has focused on individuals aged 50 and older,” said Allison Aiello, Ph.D., James S. Jackson Healthy Longevity Professor of Epidemiology in the Butler Aging Center and Columbia Mailman School. “The potential impact of our findings is substantial, offering clinicians and health researchers a clearer understanding of the early emergence of Alzheimer’s disease risk factors and their association with cognition before middle age.
