Split shift: A surprising twist in the biology of aging
Yale UniversityAndrew Verdesca has been studying the aging process since he was an undergraduate. As one of the “few universal human experiences,” the biology of aging has always fascinated Verdesca, who is now a Ph.D. student in Yale’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
“It’s one thing we all do,” says Verdesca, who is part of Josien van Wolfswinkel’s lab in Yale’s Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. “And yet we know so little about it.”
But new research from Verdesca, van Wolfskwinkel, and others offers fresh insights into our understanding of aging — including an unexpected twist. Contrary to popular belief, cellular “wear and tear” is not the only culprit behind age-related decline, they find. It turns out that a breakdown in the body’s “internal positioning system” — which directs cellular location — may play a significant role, too.
Their findings are published in the journal Current Biology.