Aging is fundamentally a cellular process. The 12 hallmarks of aging — from mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular senescence to loss of proteostasis and telomere attrition — all operate at the cellular level before manifesting as the organ-level decline we associate with getting older. Understanding these mechanisms is not academic; it is the key to identifying which interventions actually target the root causes of aging versus those that merely treat symptoms.
This category covers the cellular biology of aging in accessible, evidence-based depth. Mitochondrial decline reduces cellular energy production by roughly 10% per decade after age 30. Senescent cells accumulate and secrete inflammatory signals that damage surrounding tissue. Autophagy — the cell's self-cleaning process — becomes less efficient with age, allowing damaged proteins and organelles to accumulate. Each article explains the mechanism, the evidence for specific interventions (from rapamycin and senolytics to exercise-induced autophagy), and what you can do today to support cellular health based on current science.