When scientists talk about aging we’re not talking about chronological age, because there is a wide variety of ways that people age. What we’re really interested in is the accumulated effect of things that happen to our bodies that cause difficulties. Neuroscientists use the word senescence—just a fancy Latin-rooted word that means to grow old or to age. You can’t do anything to turn back your chronological age, but you can decrease the likelihood of senescence by adopting simple practices. It has been accepted wisdom for decades that the life span of humans is limited to around 115 years,
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