Tracking the research that bends the curve

Escape Velocity Weekly is a short, curated roundup of aging and longevity research, for curious people who want the studies and caveats in the same place

Who writes it

I'm David. I'm optimistic about where longevity science is heading, and I think that's exactly why it deserves a sober read of the evidence.

I'm not a doctor, so every pick links to its source, and I say plainly when a result is in mice, unreplicated or not yet peer reviewed. Reply to any issue, or find me at @EscVelWeekly.

What is longevity escape velocity?

Each year, medicine adds a little to how long a person of a given age can expect to live. Today that gain is well under one year per year, so the clock still wins. Longevity escape velocity, or LEV, is the point where research adds more than a year of remaining life expectancy for every year that passes, so that, on average, aging stops being a countdown. Nobody knows when, or whether, we'll get there. This newsletter tracks the results that could move that date.

0 1 yr One year gained per year Escape velocity Today: well under 1 yr per yr Research progress Time Life expectancy gained per year
Illustrative only. Nobody knows the real shape or timing of this curve.

How picks are chosen

Each issue has three to five picks. A study makes the cut when it does at least one of these well:

  1. It targets aging itself. Results on shared mechanisms, such as inflammation, senescence, nutrient sensing and epigenetic change, rank above single-disease news.
  2. The evidence is shown, not implied. Every pick carries an evidence box: what was studied, at what stage, in how many subjects, and whether it has been peer reviewed.
  3. Humans outrank mice, but mice still count. Animal studies make the cut when they are large, start late in life, or replicate earlier work, and they are always labelled.
  4. Preprints are welcome, and flagged. New work often appears before peer review. It gets a dashed Preprint badge and a little more caution.
  5. Hype gets translated. Headlines are rewritten into what the study actually measured, with the biggest caveat stated up front.

Reading the evidence box

Human
Data from people. The only filled badge.
PrimateMouseCells
Animal or cell data.
RCTPhase 1
Study design or clinical trial stage.
✓ Peer reviewed
Published in a journal after review.
Preprint
Not yet peer reviewed. Read with extra care.

Not medical advice. This newsletter summarizes research for general interest. Talk to your doctor before changing anything about your health.