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Zombie cells central to the quest for active, vital old age

Richard Soller holds the medal he won in the 200 meter final at the National Senior Games, Monday, May 16, 2022, in Miramar, Fla. Soller says exercise keeps him fit enough to handle what comes his way. "Do as much as you can," he says. "That should be the goal for anyone to stay healthy." (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) Rancher Mike Gale practices with a piece of throwing equipment in Petaluma, Calif., on May 24, 2022. Gale, 80, installed a track and field throwing circle on his sprawling property in Petaluma, California, so he and some friends could practice throwing the discus and other equipment. "I’d like to be competing in my 90s," Gale says. "Why not?" (AP Photo/Laura Ungar) Leonard Hayflick, 94, the scientist who discovered cellular senescence in 1960, leafs through a binder containing his research at his home in The Sea Ranch, Calif., on May 23, 2022. He discovered cellular senescence by accident, cultivating human fetal cells for a project on cancer biology and noticing they stopped dividing after about 50 population doublings. This wasn’t a big surprise; cell cultures often failed because of things like contamination. What was surprising was that others also stopped dividing at the same point. The phenomenon was later called "the Hayflick limit." (AP Photo/Laura Ungar) This combination of microscope photos provided by the Mayo Clinic in August 2022 shows healthy myoblast cells, left, and senescent ones. Senescent cells resist apoptosis, or programmed cell death, and characteristically get big and flat, with enlarged nuclei. They release a blend of molecules, some of which can trigger inflammation and harm other cells — and paradoxically also stimulate the growth of malignant cells and fuel cancer, says Mayo Clinic researcher Nathan LeBrasseur. (Dr. Xu Zhang/Mayo Clinic via AP) Leonard Hayflick, the scientist who discovered cellular senescence in 1960, stands outside his home in The Sea Ranch, Calif., on May 23, 2022. At 94, he's a professor of anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco, and continues to write, present and speak on the topic. (AP Photo/Laura Ungar) Phil Milliman of Washington State, competes in the pole vault during the National Senior Games, Monday, May 16, 2022, in Miramar, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) Anthony Hinojosa of California sprints to the finish line as Ronald Flanders of North Carolina, attempts to catch up during the final 200 meter race for men over 65 at the National Senior Games, Monday, May 16, 2022, in Miramar, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) Jane Kaiser of Michigan, competes in the shot put during the National Senior Games, Monday, May 16, 2022, in Miramar, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) An over 60 years and older group of women run a 200 meter race during the National Senior Games, Monday, May 16, 2022, in Miramar,Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) Richard Soller, 95, runs in the 200 meter race for men over 85 years old at the National Senior Games, Monday, May 16, 2022, in Miramar, Fla. After a torn hamstring stopped him from running track in high school, he fell into an unhealthy lifestyle in early adulthood, smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. But he and his wife Jean quit cold turkey when their daughter Mary came along. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) This microscope photo provided by the Mayo Clinic in August 2022 shows senescent myoblast cells. Senescent cells resist apoptosis, or programmed cell death, and characteristically get big and flat, with enlarged nuclei. They release a blend of molecules, some of which can trigger inflammation and harm other cells — and paradoxically also stimulate the growth of malignant cells and fuel cancer, says Mayo Clinic researcher Nathan LeBrasseur. (Dr. Xu Zhang/Mayo Clinic via AP)