Zombie cells: we all have them. These senescent cells are cells that have stopped dividing due to damage but refuse to die. They linger in tissues, spewing a toxic cocktail of inflammatory chemicals known as the SASP (Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype—I know, it’s on the tip of your
The search for immortality reminds me of the centuries-old pursuit of alchemy. Instead of turning lead into gold, we aim to turn our mortal bodies, long insulted by nature, into gleaming, immortal beings. In the eyes of the medieval alchemist, lead was not a fixed element but simply "
I read the Epic of Gilgamesh recently and was surprised that even the oldest surviving epic was about immortality, the same thing I’m writing about. Go figure. Even as writing was just beginning about 4,000 years ago, the specter of death dangled over the human consciousness. In the