For decades, the field of biogerontology has largely focused on a single strategy: manipulating metabolism to slow down the rate at which we age. While approaches like caloric restriction have produced fascinating results in short-lived organisms like worms and flies, they have shown clear limits in mammals. Slowing the accumulation of damage does not remove the damage that is already there. It merely delays (not prevents) the onset of disease, particularly when applied late in life.
People have long given up on the search for the Fountain of Youth, a mythical spring that could reverse aging. But for some scientists, the hunt has not ended—it’s just moved to a different place. These modern-day Ponce de Leóns are investigating whether gut microbes hold the secret to aging well.
The gut microbiome refers to the vast collection of microscopic organisms—bacteria, fungi, and viruses—that largely inhabit the colon. These microbes aid in digestion and produce molecules that affect your physiology and psychology. The composition of the microbiome is influenced by a combination of factors, including genetics, diet, the environment, medications, and age.
I’m a microbiology professor and author of “Pleased to Meet Me: Genes, Germs and the Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are,” which describes how the gut microbiome contributes to physical and mental health. The discovery that the gut microbiome changes with age has ignited studies to determine whether the Fountain of Youth might be right under your nose, down inside your gut.
At the 2026 Biotech Showcase during JPM Week, Immortabio revealed new data from an established aging mouse model.
The results were striking.
Senovax alone improved outcomes.
Stem cells alone performed even better.
But when combined, the therapy doubled lifespan.
Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a drug-and-supplement combination therapy that is capable of reducing the harmful effects of senescent cells – also known as “zombie cells” – in diabetic kidney disease.
In eBioMedicine, a publication of The Lancet, the team reported that the combination of the cancer drug dasatanib and a naturally occurring substance known as quercetin decreased inflammation and boosted protective factors in the kidney.
Diabetic kidney disease affects more than 12 million people in the U.S. and is the leading cause of kidney failure. While newer treatments can delay loss of kidney function, there is currently no cure.
New research points to the shingles vaccine meaningfully reducing the number of people who develop either dementia or mild cognitive decline later in life https://econ.st/4s73gdz.
Illustration: Cristina Spanò
The evidence is surprisingly strong.
Here, Chuan Qin & team use complementary models in experimental ischemic stroke, showing early post-stroke stages in which microglia recruit B cells into ischemic lesions through MIF/CD74/CXCR4, while later stage post-stroke effects involve interferon signaling in B cells that drives neuroinflammation and brain injury:
The image shows B lymphocytes (Green) in mouse dura tissue colocalizing with CD31+ blood vessels (Red).
1Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases;
2Key Laboratory of Vascular Aging, Ministry of Education, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College; and.
3Hubei Key Laboratory of Neural Injury and Functional Reconstruction, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
For centuries we treated technology as a tool, and now a new movement insists it is becoming the future of the human species itself.
Transhumanists like Harari and Kurzweil predict the merger of humans and machines, even the rise of a “digital God.” But critics fear this proposed future, calling transhumanism “the world’s most dangerous idea.”
Is the future one where technology is not merely a source of innovation but the basis for a new account of what it is to be human, or are claims of eternal life and new forms of intelligence just fanciful nonsense?
Joining the debate are transhumanist pioneer Zoltan Istvan, physicist and consciousness researcher Àlex Gómez-Marín, philosopher of mind Susan Schneider, and Softmax co-founder Adam Goldstein.
Tap the link now to watch the full debate.
We have for centuries sought technological progress. But now some are making the radical claim that technology is the future of the human race. ‘Effective accelerationists’ have won high-profile Silicon Valley support and claim we should accelerate technology to.