DiscoverShort Wave'Zombie' Cells Could Explain Aging — And Help Scientists Slow It
'Zombie' Cells Could Explain Aging — And Help Scientists Slow It

'Zombie' Cells Could Explain Aging — And Help Scientists Slow It

Update: 2025-08-052
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It’s no secret that stress isn’t good for you. But just how bad is it? Well, in the last few decades, scientists have linked psychological stress to changes in our DNA that look a lot like what happens on the molecular level as we age. Today on the show, host Regina G. Barber talks to freelance science journalist Diana Kwon about the latest research on stress and aging, including a new hypothesis for how your brain handles aging — and what science could do about all of it.

Interested in more aging science? Let us know at shortwave@npr.org.

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'Zombie' Cells Could Explain Aging — And Help Scientists Slow It

'Zombie' Cells Could Explain Aging — And Help Scientists Slow It