Yet Another New Biotech Company Aims at Regeneration of the Atrophied Thymus

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2026/01/yet-another-new-biotech-company-aims-at-regeneration-of-the-atrophied-thymus/

The thymus is a small inner organ near the heart that is responsible for the maturation of T cells of the adaptive immune system. The supply of new T cells is critical to the maintenance of effective immune function over time. Unfortunately the thymus atrophies over the course of adult life, and in most people is largely made up of inactive fat tissue by as early as 50 years of age. The resulting diminished supply of replacement cells ensures that the T cell population thereafter becomes ever more made up of malfunctioning, exhausted, and senescent cells incapable of mounting a…

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2026/01/yet-another-new-biotech-company-aims-at-regeneration-of-the-atrophied-thymus/

The thymus is a small inner organ near the heart that is responsible for the maturation of T cells of the adaptive immune system. The supply of new T cells is critical to the maintenance of effective immune function over time. Unfortunately the thymus atrophies over the course of adult life, and in most people is largely made up of inactive fat tissue by as early as 50 years of age. The resulting diminished supply of replacement cells ensures that the T cell population thereafter becomes ever more made up of malfunctioning, exhausted, and senescent cells incapable of mounting a…

The Loss of Sentimental Things

Source https://www.theminimalists.com/loss/

By Joshua Fields Millburn

During a recent trip to the grocery,
I ran into a woman who had
lost
everything
in the LA fires last January.

As soon as she recognized “the minimalist guy,”
she approached me in the parking lot:
“I need to tell you everything…
about losing everything.”

“I spent years acquiring everything I wanted—
the perfect house, the perfect furniture,
the perfect things
and yet I was perfectly unhappy.”

Then: the flames imperfected …

Source https://www.theminimalists.com/loss/

By Joshua Fields Millburn

During a recent trip to the grocery,
I ran into a woman who had
lost
everything
in the LA fires last January.

As soon as she recognized “the minimalist guy,”
she approached me in the parking lot:
“I need to tell you everything…
about losing everything.”

“I spent years acquiring everything I wanted—
the perfect house, the perfect furniture,
the perfect things
and yet I was perfectly unhappy.”

Then: the flames imperfected …

The Beauty in Brokenness: Why Your Scars Make You Worthy

Source https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-beauty-in-brokenness-why-your-scars-make-you-worthy/

“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” ~Rumi

On July 2, 2009, my life shattered with three words: “He is gone.”

I thought my friend meant my love was away on a camping trip, but no. She meant he was gone, as in forever.

My stomach knotted and my breath stopped. My body was reacting to the gravity of the truth before my mind could fully process it. The man I loved more than life itself never came back from his camping trip, and in many ways, neither did I.

My heart broke in a million pieces in a moment, and I’ve spent the last fifteen years devoted to picking myself up and putting the parts of my heart back together.

Source https://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-beauty-in-brokenness-why-your-scars-make-you-worthy/

“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” ~Rumi

On July 2, 2009, my life shattered with three words: “He is gone.”

I thought my friend meant my love was away on a camping trip, but no. She meant he was gone, as in forever.

My stomach knotted and my breath stopped. My body was reacting to the gravity of the truth before my mind could fully process it. The man I loved more than life itself never came back from his camping trip, and in many ways, neither did I.

My heart broke in a million pieces in a moment, and I’ve spent the last fifteen years devoted to picking myself up and putting the parts of my heart back together.

The US Black Heritage Project

Source https://seniorplanet.org/articles-black-heritage-project/

The US Black Heritage Project is building a database of Black American reference trees to help families reclaim their lineages.

The post The US Black Heritage Project appeared first on Senior Planet from AARP.

Source https://seniorplanet.org/articles-black-heritage-project/

The US Black Heritage Project is building a database of Black American reference trees to help families reclaim their lineages.

The post The US Black Heritage Project appeared first on Senior Planet from AARP.

A Beneficial Function of TGF-β in Aging

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2026/01/a-beneficial-function-of-tgf-%CE%B2-in-aging/

Much of the research into TGF-β signaling show that raised circulating levels of TGF-β drive chronic inflammation and related dysfunctions. Researchers have shown that reducing TGF-β levels can be used to improve health and extend life in mice, for example. Yet nothing is simple and straightforward when it comes to cellular biochemistry. Here, researchers provide evidence for a beneficial function of TGF-β, in that its presence restrains the inflammatory activity of the innate immune cells known as microglia to bett…

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2026/01/a-beneficial-function-of-tgf-%CE%B2-in-aging/

Much of the research into TGF-β signaling show that raised circulating levels of TGF-β drive chronic inflammation and related dysfunctions. Researchers have shown that reducing TGF-β levels can be used to improve health and extend life in mice, for example. Yet nothing is simple and straightforward when it comes to cellular biochemistry. Here, researchers provide evidence for a beneficial function of TGF-β, in that its presence restrains the inflammatory activity of the innate immune cells known as microglia to bett…

Investigating the Epigenetics of Cellular Senescence in T Cells

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2026/01/investigating-the-epigenetics-of-cellular-senescence-in-t-cells/

Cells become senescent constantly throughout the body and throughout life, near all as the result of reaching the Hayflick limit on replication, but also due to excessive cell stress, damage, or a toxic environment. A senescent cell ceases replication, enlarges, and secretes a pro-inflammatory, pro-growth mix of signals that attracts the attention of the immune system. In youth senescent cells are efficiently destroyed by the immune system, but this clearance <a href="https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2019/12/clearance-of-senescent-cells-is-fas…

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2026/01/investigating-the-epigenetics-of-cellular-senescence-in-t-cells/

Cells become senescent constantly throughout the body and throughout life, near all as the result of reaching the Hayflick limit on replication, but also due to excessive cell stress, damage, or a toxic environment. A senescent cell ceases replication, enlarges, and secretes a pro-inflammatory, pro-growth mix of signals that attracts the attention of the immune system. In youth senescent cells are efficiently destroyed by the immune system, but this clearance <a href="https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2019/12/clearance-of-senescent-cells-is-fas…

Common Changes in RNA Splicing and Processing with Age Across Tissues

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2026/01/common-changes-in-rna-splicing-and-processing-with-age-across-tissues/

RNA splicing is the assembly of exons (and discarding of introns) to form a protein. Many genes contain the instructions for multiple proteins, and which protein is produced is governed by the operation of the splicing machinery. That operation is known to change with age, but the question remains open as to just how important RNA splicing is to age-related degeneration. Researchers here use a novel approach to identify genes with age-related alterations in expression that are similar in all tissues, and find that the results are biased towards RNA splicing machinery. The interesting part of the paper is the speculation in the discussion section regarding the reasons why alterations in RNA splicing activities could be important in aging, suggesting a connection to DNA damage</…

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2026/01/common-changes-in-rna-splicing-and-processing-with-age-across-tissues/

RNA splicing is the assembly of exons (and discarding of introns) to form a protein. Many genes contain the instructions for multiple proteins, and which protein is produced is governed by the operation of the splicing machinery. That operation is known to change with age, but the question remains open as to just how important RNA splicing is to age-related degeneration. Researchers here use a novel approach to identify genes with age-related alterations in expression that are similar in all tissues, and find that the results are biased towards RNA splicing machinery. The interesting part of the paper is the speculation in the discussion section regarding the reasons why alterations in RNA splicing activities could be important in aging, suggesting a connection to DNA damage</…

Coming Soon: An Upgraded Senior Planet Website!

Source https://seniorplanet.org/articles-news-website-upgrade/

You spoke, and we listened! Your feedback in 2025 helped Senior Planet create a new, improved, and customizable Senior Planet website that will debut soon.

The post Coming Soon: An Upgraded Senior Planet Website! appeared first on Senior Planet from AARP.

Source https://seniorplanet.org/articles-news-website-upgrade/

You spoke, and we listened! Your feedback in 2025 helped Senior Planet create a new, improved, and customizable Senior Planet website that will debut soon.

The post Coming Soon: An Upgraded Senior Planet Website! appeared first on Senior Planet from AARP.

Thoughts on Aging as Damage versus Aging as a Program of Altered Gene Expression

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2026/01/thoughts-on-aging-as-damage-versus-aging-as-a-program-of-altered-gene-expression/

The article I’ll point out today manages to capture much of the gist of the present state of interactions between two opposing viewpoints on aging: firstly that aging is the consequence of an accumulation of cell and tissue damage, a byproduct of evolutionary focus on early life success, and secondly that aging is an evolved program in its entirety. In essence, the trend is now towards some form of synthesis of these two viewpoints, that the panoply of mechanisms making up degenerative aging contain something of both stochastic damage and programmed functions. One might look at the present state of the <a href="https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2021/10/clarifying-the-hyperfunction-theory-…

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2026/01/thoughts-on-aging-as-damage-versus-aging-as-a-program-of-altered-gene-expression/

The article I’ll point out today manages to capture much of the gist of the present state of interactions between two opposing viewpoints on aging: firstly that aging is the consequence of an accumulation of cell and tissue damage, a byproduct of evolutionary focus on early life success, and secondly that aging is an evolved program in its entirety. In essence, the trend is now towards some form of synthesis of these two viewpoints, that the panoply of mechanisms making up degenerative aging contain something of both stochastic damage and programmed functions. One might look at the present state of the <a href="https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2021/10/clarifying-the-hyperfunction-theory-…

Mechanotransduction via Piezo1 Drives the Benefits of Exercise on Bone Tissue

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2026/01/mechanotransduction-via-piezo1-drives-the-benefits-of-exercise-on-bone-tissue/

Why does exercise slow the age-related loss of bone mineral density leading to osteoporosis? Researchers here find a critical role for mechanotransduction, the sensing of physical forces placed upon a cell, such as pressure or mechanical stress. Specifically the mechanosensor Piezo1 is triggered in mesenchymal stem cells in the bone marrow, and the subsequent response of this cell population acts to reduce inflammation, reduce fat cell generation in bone marrow, and thus allow the specialized cell populations working on bone extracellular matrix structures to better m…

Source https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2026/01/mechanotransduction-via-piezo1-drives-the-benefits-of-exercise-on-bone-tissue/

Why does exercise slow the age-related loss of bone mineral density leading to osteoporosis? Researchers here find a critical role for mechanotransduction, the sensing of physical forces placed upon a cell, such as pressure or mechanical stress. Specifically the mechanosensor Piezo1 is triggered in mesenchymal stem cells in the bone marrow, and the subsequent response of this cell population acts to reduce inflammation, reduce fat cell generation in bone marrow, and thus allow the specialized cell populations working on bone extracellular matrix structures to better m…

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