As we get older, we age, our bodies and minds deteriorate, but this isn't true of all species. The video begins with why we age and what biological processes cause aging. Then it covers research on worms, mice, and other animals that allow them to live longer and act younger their entire lives. Finally, it discusses why humans aren't doing this yet and the dangers of potentially trying it in humans.

Concepts

aging, death, cell division, chromosomes, genes, mutation, calories

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Have students trace back the last five people in their direct line that have died and average their ages at death; graph the data for the entire class
• Before the video, list factors that lead to aging and add to the list after the video

Classroom Considerations

• Review comment section before displaying in class, as it currently contains curse words and other inappropriate content
• Be sensitive to the discussion of death, as members of the class may have experienced the death of a loved one in the recent past

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Provides closed captioning in English and Estonian
• Includes both sides of the discussion  why we want to live longer and why we don't want to try the things that might make us live longer

Cons

• None