Countdown's Timely Tick-Tock Sound
In a recent newsletter, Anne announced the re-airing of the episode "The Tyranny of Time" this week. This episode, which delves into the complexities of time, seems particularly relevant now, as Anne shares her own reflections on the subject.
Anne has been intrigued by time from various perspectives, including its social and political implications. She has questioned the origins of clocks governing lives, the concept of time as money, and the search for alternatives to Western time.
Last year, Stanford medical researchers made a groundbreaking discovery about human aging. They found that aging occurs in sudden bursts rather than as a smooth, gradual process. Two major waves of rapid molecular changes happen around ages 44 and 60[1][5]. This revelation reframes aging as a series of biological events with predictable transition points, opening up opportunities for targeted preventive health measures during these vulnerable periods.
In the study, published in Nature Aging, over 135,000 molecules and microbes in 108 people aged 25 to 75 were analysed. It was found that 81% of these showed non-linear changes at specific ages instead of steady shifts over time[1]. The first burst around age 44 impacts molecules involved in alcohol metabolism, caffeine processing, lipid metabolism, cardiovascular health, and skin and muscle function. The second burst around age 60 affects carbohydrate metabolism, immune regulation, kidney function, cardiovascular systems, and muscle health[1].
Anne has had conversations with cosmologists who traced the 13.5 billion years it took to grow stars, galaxies, and planets, and with geologist Marcia Bjornerud about the eons of years it took to form Earth's crust. These discussions have given her a deeper understanding of time and its vastness.
Recently, Anne has noticed changes in her own experience of time. She realised this week that the series had shifted her actual experience of time, making her less afraid of things coming to an end. The speaker still feels bad about their neck, but the old anxiety about running out of time has faded and softened.
Anne hopes that listeners enjoy the re-aired episode of "The Tyranny of Time" and find new ideas from it, as they did for her. She signs off with "With gratitude always," at the end of the newsletter.
In addition to this, Anne produced a series called "Deep Time," which explored topics such as relativity, quantum entanglement, and chronobiology. This series, like "The Tyranny of Time," invites us to question our understanding of time and to appreciate its complexities.
[1] - Stanford Medicine News Center. (2021, October 12). Stanford researchers discover aging occurs in sudden bursts. Retrieved from https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/10/stanford-researchers-discover-aging-occurs-in-sudden-bursts.html [5] - Nature Aging. (2021). Human aging is characterized by sudden bursts of molecular change. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s43586-021-00287-x
- Anne's series, "Deep Time," delves into topics like relativity, quantum entanglement, and chronobiology, inviting listeners to question and appreciate the complexities of time, much like her upcoming episode "The Tyranny of Time."
- The recent discovery in science stated that aging occurs in sudden bursts rather than a smooth, gradual process, with major waves of molecular changes happening around ages 44 and 60, according to a study published in Nature Aging.
- Embracing personal growth and health-and-wellness, Anne now finds herself revisiting and reflecting on the concept of time, especially in light of the Stanford research that calls aging a series of predictable biological events, including the 'aging bursts' happening at certain stages of life.
