S4.02 - 100 not out? Genes and ageing

Hello, and welcome to Genetics Unzipped - the Genetics Society podcast, with me, Dr Kat Arney. If you’re noticing things falling apart a bit as you’re getting older, you’re not alone - in this episode we’re taking a look at the genetic changes that underpin ageing, and how we can use this knowledge to live longer, healthier lives. And we find out why the most useful anti-ageing product in your bathroom might be your toothbrush, rather than that fancy moisturiser.

Before we start, we’re still planning the 2021 series of Genetics Unzipped, and we want to hear from you! What topics would you like us to explore? Who would you like us to interview? Do you have a fantastic story from the world of genetics you’d like to share? Or are you from a company or organisation interested in partnering with us for sponsored episode that would be of interest to our many thousands of genetics-curious listeners around the world? If so, tweet us @GeneticsUnzip  or email me at podcast@geneticsunzipped.com 

Last year we doubled our listenership, and we’d love to do that again this year so please do spread the word about the podcast, through social media, emails, carrier pigeon… whatever works for you. Please do make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast through your podcasting app of choice so you don’t miss a single episode. And, as always, it would be great if you could leave us a rating and a short review on Apple podcasts to help more people discover the show.  

Now, with that out of the way, let’s get on with it.

If I could turn back time - Andrew Steele

It was my birthday earlier this month, which I celebrated in lockdown with an excellent online winetasting. I don’t know about you, but every passing year makes me more acutely aware of my own mortality, especially as things start getting wrinkly and sagging a bit. So is age just a number, as the saying goes? Or is there something deeper going on at a biological level? To dig into the ageing process I had a chat with Andrew Steele, author of the new book Ageless:The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old, who has taken a deep dive into the processes that underlie ageing and - excitingly - whether we might be able to slow them down to live longer, healthier lives. First things first - what exactly is ageing? Read on to find out more…

Patchwork of mutation - Raheleh Rahbari

As Andrew mentioned, there’s a lot going on in our bodies as we get older, including the gradual pileup of mutations in our cells. But, as Raheleh Rahbari and her colleagues at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge are finding, there’s more to this phenomenon than meets the eye - especially when it comes to the distinction between the immortal cells of the germline - which make eggs and sperm to create the next generation - compered to the rest of our bodies, known as somatic tissues. And to find out why, we need to go right back to the beginning. Read on to find out more…

That’s all for now. We’ll be back next time taking a look at the life of JBS Haldane, one of the leading geneticists of the 20th century.  Remember to send in your ideas for topics you’d like us to cover to podcast@geneticsunzipped.com or tweet us @geneticsunzip 

For more information about this podcast including show notes, transcripts, links, references, music credits and everything else head over to geneticsunzipped.com You can find us on Twitter @geneticsunzip and please do take a moment to rate and review us on Apple podcasts - it really makes a difference and helps more people discover the show.

Genetics Unzipped is written and presented by me, Kat Arney. It is produced by First Create the Media for The Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies in the world dedicated to supporting and promoting the research, teaching and application of genetics. You can find out more and apply to join at genetics.org.uk. Our theme music was composed by Dan Pollard, and the logo was designed by James Mayall, and audio production was by Hannah Varrall. Thanks for listening, and until next time, goodbye.

• All music and sound effects licensed from Envato and Epidemic Sound

• Image Credit: Mark Epstein, Centre for Ageing Better photo library, CC BY ND 4.0