Latest news with #WhyWeDie
WIRED
15-04-2025
- Health
- WIRED
‘We Are Not Programmed to Die,' Says Nobel Laureate Venki Ramakrishnan
Apr 15, 2025 5:00 AM The structural biologist, who has devoted his life to studying the processes behind aging, discusses the surprising things he has learned and the public misunderstandings about longevity. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan at the Milan Longevity Summit in Milan, Italy. Courtesy of the Milan Longevity Summit If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. Learn more. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, the man of death. Although this does not sound like a good moniker, it is: Ramakrishnan is one of the world's most eminent scientists in the fields of structural biology and cellular processes related to aging and death. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 for his discovery of the structure of the ribosome, a crucial cellular machine responsible for gene expression. In addition to being a leading researcher, Ramakrishnan is also a prolific author. After the enormous success of The Gene Machine , a memoir in which he recounts his human and scientific journey, he published the mighty Why We Die , a book—as its name suggests—dedicated precisely to illustrating the dynamics that regulate aging and which, progressively and inexorably, lead to death. Ramakrishnan was recently in Italy, in Milan, where he gave a lecture at the second edition of the Milan Longevity Summit, the most important Italian event dedicated to longevity and psycho-physical well-being, organized by BrainCircle Italia. It was an opportunity to meet him and ask him a few questions. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. WIRED: Professor Ramakrishnan, the crucial question in your book is why we die . But exactly what is death? Venki Ramakrishnan: By death, we mean the irreversible loss of the ability to function as a coherent individual. It is the result of the failure of a critical system or apparatus, for example, heart, brain, lung, or kidney failure. In this sense there is an apparent paradox: When our organism, as a whole, is alive, millions of cells within us are constantly dying, and we do not even realize it. On the other hand, at the time of death, most of the cells in our bodies are still alive, and entire organs are still functioning and can be donated to people in need of transplantation. But at that point the body has lost the ability to function as a whole. In this sense, it is therefore important to distinguish between cell death and death of the individual. Speaking of death and aging, you say in your most recent book that you 'wanted to offer an objective look at our current understanding of the two phenomena.' What was the biggest surprise or most deeply held belief that you had to reconsider while writing and researching this work? There have been several surprises, actually. One is that death, contrary to what one might think, is not programmed by our genes. Evolution does not care how long we live, but merely selects the ability to pass on our genes, a process known as 'fitness' in evolutionary biology. Thus, the traits that are selected are those that help us survive childhood and reproduce. And it is these traits, later in life, that cause aging and decline. Another curious finding was the fact that aging is not simply due to wear and tear on cells. Wear and tear happens constantly in all living things, yet different species have very different lifespans. Instead, lifespan is the result of a balance between the expenditure of resources needed to keep the organism functioning and repairing it and those needed to make it grow, mature, and keep it healthy until it reproduces and nurtures offspring. Do you think there is an aspect of the biology of aging that is still deeply misunderstood by the general public? Certainly the indefinite extension of life. Although in principle there are no laws or constraints that prevent us from living much longer than we do currently, great longevity or 'eternal youth' are still far off, and very significant obstacles to increasing our maximum life expectancy remain. We must also beware of the pseudoscience—and business—around the concepts of 'anti-aging' or the 'reversal of aging.' These are often baseless concepts, unsupported by hard evidence, even though they may use language that sounds scientific. Unfortunately, we are all afraid of growing old and dying, so we are very sensitive to any claim that promises to help us avoid it. A famous scene in the movie Frankenstein Junior shows a student asking Professor Frankenstein about some experiments with worms, and the lecturer replies that 'a worm, with very few exceptions, is not a human being.' Yet a whole chapter of Why We Die is called 'Lessons from a Humble Worm.' What do we have to learn from worms? Science has always studied fundamental processes by using model organisms, including worms, fruit flies, and even yeast and bacteria. Of course, the closer these species are to us, the better, which is why drug trials are first conducted on mice and even monkeys and chimpanzees. But we can learn a lot from organisms like the worm. Many things discovered in worms have counterparts in humans. However, we cannot directly extrapolate every result. For example, humans with some of the same mutations that cause the longevity of worms turn out to have serious problems, such as growth defects. What do you think are the social and ethical implications of our desire to live longer? Ever since we became aware of our mortality, we have desired to defeat aging and death. However, our individual desires may conflict with what is best for society. A society in which fertility rates are very low and lifespans are very high will be a stagnant society, with very slow generational turnover, and probably much less dynamic and creative. The Nobel Prize-winning South American novelist Mario Vargas Llosa, who recently passed away, expressed it best: 'Old age on the one hand terrifies us, but when we feel anxious, it is important to remember how terrible it would be to live forever. If eternity were guaranteed, all the incentives and illusions of life would vanish. This thought can help us live old age in a better way.' This story originally appeared on WIRED Italia and has been translated from Italian.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
3 Research-Backed Longevity Rules A Heart Surgeon Swears By
Heart disease causes a quarter of all deaths in the UK, the British Heart Foundation shared. That's one life every three minutes. Heart disease is linked to the leading cause of death in the UK – dementia – too, because people with worse heart health are more likely to develop vascular dementia. So it's a good thing Dr Jeremy London, a board-certified heart surgeon, has shared his advice for a longer life. In a YouTube short, his son asked: 'After 25 years of being a heart surgeon, what are your rules for a longer life?' Here are his pearls of wisdom: 'Think about what you put in your mouth,' the surgeon advised. He recommends adopting a 'A good, solid, whole foods nutritional plan' which limits processed foods. The NHS says that a low-fat, high-fibre diet can help to reduce your risk of heart disease. And an 80-country-wide study found that no matter where we are in the world, eating a diet rich in legumes, fruits, veggies, fish, and nuts was linked to better heart health. Exercising daily can help to improve your VO2 max, or your lung capacity, which is a 'huge indicator of longevity,' the surgeon says. Going from having a low VO2 max to a high one is associated with a 60-70% decrease in mortality risk. 'Add some aerobic activity into your exercise plan,' the surgeon continued (this includes exercises like dancing, running, or swimming). 'And you gotta have resistance training to increase muscle mass. Muscle mass is the organ of longevity.' We lose muscle mass as we age in a process called sarcopenia. Low muscle mass in older age is linked to an increased risk of falls and fractures, as well as a higher likelihood of developing dementia. 'A solid sleep and recovery plan' can lead to some of the 'biggest gains' when it comes to your health, Dr London says. 'Recovery is critical' for a longer life, he adds. 2024 research found that men who sleep well live, on average, five years longer than those who don't. And poor-quality sleep, especially in midlife, has been linked to dementia as well. The research-backed advice is echoed by other experts, too. At the Vatican's longevity summit this year, Nobel Prize-winning chemist and biologist and author of Why We Die, Dr Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, said he 'came to the conclusion that the trio of a moderate and healthy diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep is probably better than anything out on the market today in terms of supplements or drugs.' He adds that avoiding social isolation (which is linked to conditions like dementia, especially as we age) is advisable too. 3 Simple Longevity Rules A Nobel Prize Winner Swears By 10 Everyday Habits That Are Harming Your Longevity The Most I'm A Longevity Expert – This 30-Second Test May Reveal Your Risk Of Early Death
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
3 Simple Longevity Rules A Nobel Prize Winner Swears By
We've written before at HuffPost UK about how everything from when you eat breakfast to how late you fall asleep and even the way you walk might affect your longevity. Reassuringly, simple, conventional advice about staying on top of your heart health and getting in tune with your body clock might help you to boost your odds of a longer life. Speaking to Vatican News, biologist and winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Dr. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, says he follows three such rules to improve his own longevity. Dr Ramakrishnan, who has written a book called Why We Die, says he, 'came to the conclusion that the trio of a moderate and healthy diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep is probably better than anything out on the market today in terms of supplements or drugs.' He adds that avoiding social isolation probably helps, too. Those pearls of wisdom might seem a little well-worn compared to the shiny, controversial experiments with longevity people like Bryan Johnson get involved with – but they're much better backed. The American Medical Association says that working out two to four times above the recommended amount is associated with a 26-31% decrease in all-cause mortality. A paper published in Nature says that improving UK diets could lead to 10 years more life. And 2024 research found that men who sleep well live, on average, five years longer than those who don't. 'We're at a crossroads in terms of where we are in terms of life expectancy,' Dr Ramakrishnan told the publication at the Vatican Longevity Summit this year. 'Biology has made great strides in understanding the causes of ageing and for the first time is trying to see if we can do something about tackling ageing itself as opposed to tackling specific diseases.' While this makes him wonder 'what will it mean for society if we all start living longer', he adds that his advice should work as well for the Pope (the longevity summit was held at the Vatican) as it does the rest of us. 'As [the Pope] gets better, the trio that I suggested would work for him, just as it would for anybody else,' the Nobel prize winner ended. 10 Everyday Habits That Are Harming Your Longevity The Most I'm A Longevity Expert – This 30-Second Test May Reveal Your Risk Of Early Death I'm A Longevity Professor – These 3 Walking Rules Can Help You Live Longer
