Species and individuals age at different rates. Even within a single body, organs and biological systems age at different speeds. While this phenomenon is well-known, surprisingly little research has been done to explain why it happens, an important question that can help explain why some live beyond 100 and others die in their 30s and 40s.
Multiple complicated hypotheses attempt to spell out these differences in the rate of accumulated variation in gene expression across parts of the body. A team at the University of Washington School of Medicine has instead found a simple explanation: Cells decide themselves.
