News & Views

Evolutionary theory explains how we got here--and it also sheds light on why we grow old and how we die. But as the theory itself ages, scientists continue to work on ways to keep it healthy and make it strong.

Stem cells could rejuvenate old or ailing tissues. But we might not need to find a wellspring of vigorous young stem cells to replace our aging body parts. Recent research suggests that the key to regeneration might lie in reviving the elderly stem cells we already have.

A blood test for a compound called CRP helps predict heart disease. But medical researchers don't agree on its prognostic value, and basic scientists are still debating whether it causes or merely accompanies heart trouble.

New research shows why elderly people are more easily swayed by the power of suggestion than are their younger counterparts--making them easy prey for con artists.

Over the next few years, researchers will troll through the DNA of yeast, worms, and mice in hopes of generating a comprehensive list of genes that grant long life.

Slashing calories by one-third extends the lives of rodents, but adhering to the harsh diet would be difficult for people. Now researchers find that mice live longer when they ingest less of only one nutrient, suggesting that less-extreme measures also fend off mortality.

Studies of men guide many medical therapies for women, but diseases often hit the sexes unequally. New efforts to tease apart physiological differences between the sexes promise to improve health care for women--and for men.

Women on average live longer than men. As biologists wrestle with the mechanism, sociologists grapple with the repercussions: The extra years can leave women in financial ruins when they are most vulnerable.

Some cultures claim to venerate their elders, and others make seniors take a back seat to youth. But sociologists say that old people need more than respect to age well. They must maintain their sense of identity and remain contributing members of the community.

Studies have linked participation in religious activities with long lives, but not everyone stands convinced.