|
The |
|
|
Age-Old |
By Robert Finn |
|
|
"If you don't like the idea of growing older," goes one of the world's old saws, "consider the alternative." Today, however, this notion is less a joke and more a guiding principle for many researchers. Although it's still too soon to talk about a Fountain of Youth, in just the last few years scientists have made significant advances in understanding all aspects of the aging process. UCLA has been in the forefront of this work at all stages, from exploring the basic biology of aging at a molecular level, to gaining new insight into the diseases of old age, to dealing with the social consequences of those diseases, to devising broad public-policy solutions to the complex problems presented to society by an aging population. The goal of all this research is not just to extend life expectancy, but to ensure a high quality of life for as long as possible. This research comes at an especially propitious time for the generation now on the backside of "middle age," those in their late 40s and 50s, who will reach old age early in the next millennium. As Gary Small, director of the UCLA Center on Aging, puts it: "It's an exciting time to be a baby boomer, because we are the ones who are going to benefit from all these new discoveries." |
|
|
|
