For as long as I’ve written about biology, I’ve been fascinated by why we get old. I’ve talked to evolutionary biologists about their elegant theories about aging, which they see as a tradeoff between surviving during reproductive years and accumulating cellular damage. I’ve interviewed molecular biologists who have tried to manipulate that balance by tinkering with genes and proteins—and thereby extend life. In recent years, I’ve reported on blood tests that can reveal the ticking of our biological clocks. And I’ve written about some truly strange experiments—like joining young and old mice together to slow down aging.
And so I was delighted when the producers of the podcast series “The World As You’ll Know It” reached out last fall. They asked if I’d host and produce their latest season, “The Future of Aging.” Today I’m very happy to share the first episode, called “The Billion Dollar Bet.” (Apple, Spotify)
In 2007, I wrote about about a bet between two leading thinkers on aging—Steve Austad and Jay Olshansky. Austad thought someone alive at the time would live to 150. Olshansky was sure that wouldn’t happen.
Eighteen years later, Austad and Olshansky have reached their seventies. A lot has happened in the field of aging research in that time. I talked with Austad and Olshansky again to see how the intervening years have shaped their thinking. Suffice to say, the bet still stands!
“The Future of Aging” will have seven episodes, dropping each Tuesday. I hope you’ll subscribe and enjoy them all.
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