I don’t mean to deny that the evidence is in some ways
very strongly in favor of your theory. I only wish to point
out that there are other theories possible.
—Sherlock Holmes, Adventure of the Norwood Builder
The aim of science is to seek the simplest explanation of complex facts. We are apt to fall into the error of thinking that the facts are simple because simplicity is the goal of our quest. The guiding motto in the life of every natural philosopher should be, seek simplicity and distrust it.
—Alfred North Whitehead
Here is a summary of several different ways we age. A chart displays damage-causing agents, the parts of our body they attack, and the resulting deterioration of our body functions.
Aging theories describe different aspects of the aging process, much as in the tale of the blind men and the elephant. While each theory can explain some aspects of aging, it can’t explain them all. The proliferation of
aging theories and the rapid expansion of the data base for the development of theories make many older classifications of these theories piecemeal and overlapping. For example, the free radical theory, the cross-linking theory, the decline of neurotransmitters, and the biological clock theory all involve free radicals, since free radicals can cause cross-linking
and can damage DNA and, therefore, affect aging clocks, andmay be largely responsible for the damage to neuronal tracts involved in faltering neurotransmitter production and release.
In the two schematic illustrations on the next page, we summarize several different theories of aging that are somewhat understood and are areas of focus in current gerontological research. The first is a chart that lists attacking agents (the damage-causing entities), subcellular targets for attack by these agents, and the results in terms of aging. (See the individual posts for details of how these different mechanisms contribute to your aging.) The second is a diagram that represents our own overall view of the interaction of aging processes; that is, who does what to whom. Note that there are
many positive feedback loops (circles of cause and effect) which can amplify a modest amount of initial damage into a disaster. Damage begets more damage (as in the howl of a public address system feeding back into the microphone). These positive feedback loops of damage mechanisms may help explain why dying, as opposed to aging, takes such a
small part of one’s total life span.
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