Photographer Page

David Guttenfelder

An unidentified species of scorpion from Vietnam glows under a scientist's ultraviolet head lamp. Many experts are studying venom to see if they can find ways to lessen human pain.

Veterinary cardiologist Ryan Baumwart performs an echocardiogram on a dog named Joe Pup at Washington State University in Pullman as part of Kaeberlein’s study of whether rapamycin has anti-ageing potential.

Biologist Matt Kaeberlein, a University of Washington biologist and co-director of the Dog Ageing Project, lifts weights in his garage to stay healthy. He believes exercise is one the best ways to ensure a long, healthy life, but he’s also looking for a drug to help. He’s testing rapamycin, a drug many scientists think has promise for human longevity, in 580 dogs.

In her lab in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Miranda Orr, an assistant professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine, looks at images of mouse brains. Orr’s discovery of senescent cells in human brains could have profound implications for treating Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. She’s found senescent cells that are neurones—many, but not all, with tau tangles. Now she’s trying to determine whether senescence causes tangles or tangles cause senescence.

To slow Don Lueck’s dementia, his doctors suggested he learn a new skill. He took up art in 2019 and has made more than 17,000 paintings. The hobby helped the gregarious 77-year-old endure pandemic imposed isolation in his Madison, Wisconsin, home. “Painting every day during this time saved our lives, because his brain was actively engaged in a creative process he loves,” says his wife, Jenny Villwock. “He often includes faces or creatures in his painting—someone with whom he could socialise.”

Joan Valentine, 90, tests her gait at Harbor Hospital as part of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Since her first visit in 2012, she has returned eight times. Launched in 1958, it’s one of the longest such studies in the world. The researchers have followed more than 3,200 people, some of them for more than 50 years. They collected blood and urine samples, measured strength and agility, assessed cognitive function, and performed physical exams. The data have been used in thousands of scientific papers.

Rochelle Buffenstein, a research professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago, examines a naked mole rat. She has spent decades studying the long-lived mammal, looking for ways to adapt its unique traits to prevent some of the adverse effects of ageing in humans.

Veterinary cardiologist Ryan Baumwart performs an echocardiogram on a dog named Joe Pup at Washington State University in Pullman as part of Kaeberlein’s study of whether rapamycin has anti-ageing potential.

Matt Kaeberlein, 51, a pathology professor at the University of Washington, deadlifts 305 pounds in his North Bend, Washington, garage. He believes exercise is the most important way to prevent disease and disability in old age, but like other scientists, he hopes to find medications to help. Kaeberlein is investigating whether rapamycin, a drug used to prevent organ rejection, can increase the life span of dogs and decrease their incidence of age-related disease. One reason he chose to study pets is because they live with people, sharing the same environment.