Today's Longevity Pulse
Retro Biosciences valued at $1.8B after latest fundraising round
Longevity startup Retro Biosciences announced a new fundraising round that places its valuation at $1.8 billion. The round is backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and supports the company’s goal to add ten healthy years to human life through gene and cell‑replacement therapies. Retro is also launching its first clinical trial of a pill designed to clear protein aggregates in Alzheimer’s patients.
Your Next Dog May Live Longer
Longevity biotech Loyal, founded by Celine Halioua, has received FDA clearance to market a daily pill that improves insulin sensitivity and could extend dogs’ lifespans. The agency deemed the drug likely effective based on a small study of about 50 senior dogs, and the company aims to launch the product in 2026 at roughly $100 per month. Loyal’s five‑year clinical trial now includes more than 1,300 dogs aged 10 years or older, making it the largest animal‑drug study to date. The effort reflects a broader $10 billion wave of investment in life‑extension research, with the pet market serving as a faster pathway to human applications.
AI Links Healthy Thymus to Longer Lifespan
As a medical school professor, I've taught that the thymus shrinks and fades after puberty. A new Nature paper says we should start watching it again. Researchers applied deep learning to routine chest CTs across 25,031 participants in the National Lung...
The #1 Predictor Of Cognitive Decline, Backed By 20 Years Of Data
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have unveiled a risk calculator that predicts a person’s chance of developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia up to ten years in advance, using age, sex, APOE ε4 genotype and PET‑measured brain amyloid. The analysis of...
CDC Finds One‑Third of U.S. Adults Sleep Less Than Recommended
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report showing that almost one‑third of adults slept fewer than seven hours per night in 2024. The shortfall spans gender, age and racial groups, prompting public‑health officials to warn of...
Lifestyle Signals Misaligned: 90% of Heart Disease Preventable
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally. Yet up to 90% of cases are linked to lifestyle-related risk factors we can influence. As a longevity scientist, this points to a simple information problem: the daily signals we give our...
A Drop In This Sense Could Be a Sign of Decline
A new analysis of 5,474 adults aged 65 and older links a poor sense of smell to slower gait speed, weaker grip strength, and faster physical decline over roughly seven years. The study, published in JAMA Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery,...
Train With Age, Not Against It
Midlife and Master's Athlete Training: The Biological Realities We Face For the better part of 15 years, I have been training in the gym, running, cycling, climbing, and more. But the biology of aging and the physiological changes that come with...
The Real Predictor Of Longevity Isn’t At All What You’d Expect
A new analysis of the Framingham Heart Study tracked 3,231 adults for roughly 25 years and then followed health outcomes for a median of 28 years. By aggregating participants’ Life’s Essential 8 scores across the entire period, researchers created a cumulative...
Resistance Training Boosts Metabolism, Independence, and Sleep After 40
As a bioscientist studying aging, I could list 50+ reasons why adults 40–60 should be resistance training. Here are 3: 1) Muscle is a major site of glucose disposal - improves blood sugar regulation 2) Key to maintaining physical function and independence...
Weekly Sauna Sessions Slash Cardiovascular Death Risk
15-year study, 1,688 people: Sauna 4–7 times per week cut cardiovascular death by 70%. • 2–3x/week: 29% lower • 4–7x/week: 70% lower • More sauna = more protection (linear effect) Inside the body: +45% heat shock proteins, +28% mitochondrial function, lower...
NPR and WLRN Dissect Super‑aging Hype, Spotlight Evidence‑based Longevity
NPR’s TED Radio Hour and public‑radio station WLRN released back‑to‑back pieces that unpack the science behind “super‑agers” and the booming anti‑aging industry. Both programs feature cardiologist Eric Topol, who argues that genetics play a minor role and that evidence‑based habits...
Longevity Boils Down to Diet, Sleep, and Daily Exercise
I've gone way deep down the rabbit hole on longevity and about 80% of the stuff you see is BS. There are some basics that are very simple. Number one, stop eating crap food. Number two, sleep seven hours and...
SIRT1 Emerges as Exercise‑driven Exerkine Boosting Longevity
Sirtuin 1 as an emerging exerkine in the aging process: unveiling its multifaceted biological roles "Taken together, these observations support the notion that SIRT1 functions as a potential exerkine, and understanding its role in exercise-induced adaptations offers new insights into non-pharmacological...
Best Red Light Therapy Devices of 2026, Tested and FDA-Cleared
Red‑light therapy’s market is booming, growing from $421 million in 2024 to $444 million in 2025 and projected to reach $658 million by 2032. CNET tested five FDA‑cleared devices across facial, eye, hair‑growth, neck and full‑body categories, highlighting Shark CryoGlow’s combined LED‑cryotherapy mask,...
Boosting NAD+ May Restore Sleep in Dementia
NAD+‒circadian rhythm coupling in dementia "Pharmacological and lifestyle-based strategies targeting NAD+ restoration are outlined as potential approaches to improve sleep and circadian rhythm integrity..." https://t.co/qQXLHS8nou https://t.co/te8QGUftC4
Microplastics Threaten Longevity: One Health Perspective
Micro- and Nanoplastics Exposure Across the Lifespan: One Health Implications for Aging and Longevity https://t.co/CAs0yrtcQy https://t.co/rzXoOMwI40
Psyllium Takes Lead as Experts Recommend 25‑35 G Daily Fiber for Longevity
Leading nutrition scientists are urging Americans to add psyllium seeds to their diets to reach the 25‑35 g daily fiber goal. A 2025 meta‑analysis ties every extra 10 g of fiber to a 10% lower risk of death, and psyllium’s soluble fiber...
Start Strength Training in Your 30s to Preserve Muscle Quality
Muscle loss can begin as early as your 30s, with measurable declines in muscle mass and function occurring well before old age. The study also found that women may lose strength and fitness faster than muscle mass itself, highlighting the...
Nattokinase Lacks Evidence; Choose Omega‑3 or Berberine
Nattokinase isn’t high on my list for cardiovascular prevention. I don’t see convincing evidence that it should be a primary strategy for cardiovascular disease or stroke risk reduction. If the goal is cardiovascular prevention, there are options with much stronger support. Omega-3...
Three Curious Animal Strategies for Immortality by Gunnar De Winter
The article explores three natural anti‑aging strategies observed in animals: the immortal jellyfish that can revert to a juvenile stage, the Greenland shark whose cold‑adapted, slow metabolism supports a lifespan of up to five centuries, and the Hydra’s ability to...
20 Minutes of Daily Stillness Boosts Longevity
As a longevity scientist, I’m giving you permission to do absolutely nothing for 20 minutes a day. No phone. No guided meditation. Just sit and let your mind wander. We’re more overstimulated than we realise, and it may be that...
Supplements Fail Without Solid Sleep, Diet, Exercise Foundations
Controversial opinion: the supplement industry is largely built on people’s reluctance to do the unglamorous basics. For most people, supplements have limited impact if sleep, diet, exercise, and lifestyle foundations aren’t nailed down. Sort the foundations first.
Does Greater Adult Neurogenesis Allow Some People to Resist Alzheimer's Disease?
A new open‑access study examined human hippocampal tissue from control donors, Alzheimer’s patients, and individuals who showed Alzheimer’s pathology but remained cognitively resilient. Researchers identified immature neurons in all groups, but resilient brains displayed distinct transcriptional programs that promote cell...
Common Cholesterol Medications Do Not Alter Long-Term Dementia Risk
A massive target‑trial emulation study of more than 320,000 older adults found that statin use does not change long‑term risk of dementia. While statin users showed a 46% spike in dementia diagnoses during the first year after initiation, researchers attribute...
Update on Brad Stanfield's Rapamycin Clinical Study in NZ
Brad Stanfield’s New Zealand rapamycin trial enrolled older adults on a 12‑week protocol, with participants typically taking 6 mg every other week. The study measured functional outcomes such as the chair‑stand test, sparking debate over whether short‑term dosing can reveal longevity benefits. Commentators...
Anyone Taking Rapamycin Monthly?
A growing community of longevity enthusiasts is experimenting with monthly rapamycin dosing, typically ranging from 5 mg to 30 mg and often boosted with grapefruit juice. Participants cite benefits such as fewer infections and slower aging markers, but also report side effects...
Proper Hospitality Launches Longevity‑Focused Retreats as $48 Billion Market Grows
Proper Hospitality introduced a longevity‑centered wellness program at its Santa Monica Proper Hotel, partnering with Hundred Health to offer on‑arrival blood draws that assess more than 160 biomarkers. The move reflects a broader surge in luxury longevity‑clinic tourism, a market...
The Expert on 'Super Aging' Breaks Down the Science — and Grift — in Anti-Aging
Cardiologist Eric Topol argues that the anti‑aging boom should shift from chasing longevity to extending health span, the years free of major disease. His research on “Super Agers” over 80 showed genetics play a modest role, while exercise, sleep, social...
High‑dose Semaglutide Cuts Alcohol Use in RCT
Clinicians and patients saw big reductions in alcohol intake when starting GLP-1 medicine. This is the first randomized trial to look at the high dose of semaglutide. There was a study a couple years back looking at a lower dose....
Lancôme Hosts The Circle of Longevity MD Pop-Up in New York
Lancôme hosted a one‑day pop‑up in New York on May 1, 2024 called The Circle of Longevity MD, spotlighting its Absolue Longevity MD line. The immersive event emphasized personalized skin diagnostics, exclusive longevity‑focused facial protocols, and education around aging science. A...
Aging Science Promising Yet Still Lacks Core Understanding
Aging biology is full of promise, but the reality is that it's still a nascent field. Great to be back at the @MPIAGE speaking with students and researchers about some uncomfortable truths in geroscience: We still don't understand the drivers of aging. And...
Menopause Signals a Hidden Heart Risk—Act Early
What I wish I knew earlier… I now teach every day. Menopause is not just about symptoms. It’s a cardiovascular inflection point—and one of the most missed opportunities in prevention. We were taught to watch for heart disease later. But for women, risk begins...
American Heart Association Unveils Lifelong Brain Health Strategy to Combat Cognitive Decline
The American Heart Association has published a comprehensive scientific statement outlining a lifelong brain‑health strategy that expands beyond vascular risk factors. The framework, released in the journal Stroke, highlights six modifiable domains—from pollution to gut health—aimed at reducing cognitive decline...
HDL Inflammatory Markers Predict Mortality in Elderly
High-density lipoprotein-related inflammatory markers and their association with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in an ageing population: findings from a prospective cohort study based on NHANES data https://t.co/WdNtpIgGpI https://t.co/cM0LeTv7io
CNS Gene Therapies Showcase Tau-Targeted VY170
CNS Gene Therapies Featured in Multiple Presentations at ASGCT 2026, Including Late Breaker on Tau-Targeted VY1706 for Alzheimer’s Disease https://t.co/oQ5MCd5piS https://t.co/8KeWSTJ1q7
Berkeley Scientists Pinpoint Early‑Night ‘Recovery Switch’ Driving Growth Hormone Surge
UC Berkeley neuroscientists have identified a hypothalamic circuit that ignites the nightly growth‑hormone surge during the first two‑to‑three hours of sleep. The discovery, reported in Cell, could give biohackers a new physiological window to time interventions for muscle repair, fat...
Decoding Ovarian Aging to Extend Reproductive Lifespan
Ovarian aging: Mechanisms and strategies to extend reproductive lifespan Core mechanisms include genomic instability, epigenetic noise, mitochondria, inflammation, senescence & fibrosis PhD student Maria Lopez @sinclarfriends is working on it https://t.co/tuJbQb2Xcu https://t.co/K1GlXY4KsY
Identifying the Ages when Alzheimer’s Biomarkers Sharply Change
A Mayo Clinic Study of Aging analysis identified specific ages when Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers change sharply, using breakpoint regression on plasma proteins, PET imaging, hippocampal volume and cognition across 45‑90‑year‑olds. The most consistent inflection points clustered between 62 and 71...
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Reduces MDM2 Expression and Risk of Liver Cancer
Researchers demonstrated that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from young to old mice suppresses age‑related MDM2 overexpression and prevents liver cancer development. In the study, none of the FMT‑treated older mice developed tumors, whereas two of eight control mice did. Treated...
Oxidative Stress Impairs Deubiquitylase Activity in the Aging Brain
Researchers used activity‑based proteomics in mouse and killifish brains to map cysteine deubiquitylases (DUBs) across the lifespan. They found a subset of DUBs that progressively lose catalytic activity with age, despite unchanged protein levels, due to oxidative thiol modification. Antioxidant...
I'm 35 and Haven't Had Kids Yet. I'm Trying to Delay Menopause Until I'm 60.
Kayla Barnes-Lentz, a 35‑year‑old longevity podcaster, is pursuing a biohacking regimen to postpone menopause until age 60, hoping to extend both healthspan and fertile years. She combines strict lifestyle basics—early sleep, Mediterranean diet, toxin reduction—with experimental interventions such as rapamycin...
Galactose Alters Early-Life Development and Exerts Sex-Specific Nutritional Programming Effects on Lifespan in Drosophila Melanogaster
Researchers fed Drosophila larvae a 5% galactose diet and later switched adults to either a standard 5% glucose or a high‑glucose 20% diet. Galactose prolonged larval development, increased pupal volume, and lowered mitochondrial mass, while adult females on a normal...
Glymphatic Failure Links Dog Dementia to Alzheimer’s
Canine Cognitive Dysfunction and Alzheimer’s Disease: Pathophysiological Relationships and the Impact of Glymphatic System Impairment on Neurodegeneration "...growing evidence suggests that impairment of the glymphatic system is a key pathogenic mechanism in both CCD and AD." https://t.co/1fft2OIrIP
Exploring Immortality: Dr. Cordeiro Discusses Curing Death
Can We "Cure" Death? An Evening with MIT alumnus and futurist Dr. José Cordeiro, PhDMay 13, 2026 9:00 PM - May 14, 2026 12:00 AM CLT Valley Research Park, Mountain View 319 N Bernardo Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA https://t.co/3o72lbHrCM https://t.co/U6qgewbN1B
How Long Should You Be on a GLP-1?
Semaglutide and other GLP‑1 agonists trigger appetite suppression and noticeable weight loss within the first month, with most patients shedding 15‑25% of body weight after a year. Clinical trials show that continuous use for four years markedly reduces heart attacks,...
The Tech Billionaires Behind the Immortality Movement
Tech magnates are pouring billions into the quest for human longevity. Peter Thiel has long championed plasma‑based rejuvenation, while Sam Altman committed $180 million of personal wealth to Retro Biosciences, a startup targeting age reversal. Jeff Bezos backs Altos Labs, which pursues stem‑cell therapies to extend...
New Genetic Risk Report Reveals Hidden Heart Disease Risk Before Symptoms Appear
A JACC study validated an integrated polygenic risk‑score (PRS) panel for eight cardiovascular conditions using 245,394 All of Us participants and 53,306 Mass General Brigham Biobank members. The report stratifies risk, with the top 10% showing a 41‑fold odds for...
Blood Test Pinpoints Amyloid‑to‑tau Transition in Alzheimer’s
Tracking the turning point in Alzheimer’s disease A blood biomarker reveals the mechanistic shift from amyloid to tau pathology https://t.co/p2UfYwgBHW https://t.co/Kuu82UPrFv
Calorie Restriction Deactivates Complement C3a, Slowing Inflammaging
"complement C3a reduction is a metabolically regulated inflammatory checkpoint that can be harnessed to attenuate inflammaging" Exoproteome of calorie-restricted humans identifies complement deactivation as an immunometabolic checkpoint reducing inflammaging https://t.co/FxGHE6Obm0
DSM-Firmenich to Showcase Science-Backed Longevity Ingredients at Vitafoods Europe 2026
DSM-Firmenich announced it will showcase a suite of science‑backed longevity ingredients at the upcoming Vitafoods Europe 2026 trade show in Barcelona. The portfolio targets cellular senescence, chronic inflammation, gut dysbiosis and mitochondrial dysfunction, reflecting growing consumer demand for clinically validated...