CAUSES of AGING

Rafael Perez
Physical Anthropology-2 N3028
Professor Pilakowski
February 29, 2016

ABSTRACT
When automotive manufactures debut a new auto, it has been designed to last just so many years. The same could be said for Homo sapiens. Most scientists agree that the human body, with its present design and environment, will last about 125 years. That’s if it’s well maintained through proper diet, exercise, meditation and no smoking (Andrews).
Causes of aging peaked my interest, since it’s something all organisms experience sooner or later, and at present time I know so little about what awaits me. This thesis shows that communication breakdown inside the cell between the nucleus and mitochondria is a cause of aging.

INTRODUCTION
David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School put it in rather simple terms when he suggested that the falling-off of communication between the nucleus and mitochondria is similar to an older married couple’s communication. This all happens because of a decline of a chemical called NAD, which causes a gene SIRT1, a sirtuins gene, to lose its ability to keep watch over a molecule HIF-1. What happens next is HIF-1’s levels increase and that reduces communications between the nucleus and mitochondria, which in turn slows down the cell’s ability to produce energy. The reduction in energy leads to senescence and disease (Cameron).
In testing with mice, Ana Gomes, a scientist in Sinclair’s lab, was able to improve communication between the nucleus and the mitochondria. She did that by giving mice a NAD producing compound and it reversed the aging of the mice from two-year-olds to resembling six-month-old mice (Cameron).
An added windfall turned up involving the molecule HIF-1. It seems that cancer is able to activate and hijack HIF-1 (Cameron). More research is needed, since cancer and aging might have a relationship at the molecular level.
CONCLUSION
The most important thing I’ve learned is there are so many scientists working on the causes and cures for aging. However, if everybody lives to 150 years old, who is going to support them? Will we reach the earth’s carrying capacity, or reduce the number of births?
Now, the question for the future is, how far back do you want to reverse your age?

References
Andrews, B. (2013). Dr. Bill Andrews, TA65, and the Aging Process [audio file]. Retrieved from http://TA65Review.org. Cameron, D. (2013). A New-and Reversible-Cause of Aging. Harvard Medical School. Retrieved from https://hms,edu/news/genetics/