Solved by a verified expert:Lab Exercise #1 Aging – It’s Inevitable (or is it?)“Aging seems to be the only available way to live a long life.”Kitty O’Neill Collins“After thirty, a body has a mind of its own.”Bette Midler“Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you’re aboard, there’s nothing you cando.”Golda Meir“All diseases run into one, old age.”Ralph Waldo Emerson“How incessant and great are the ills with which a prolonged old age is replete.”C. S. Lewis“No one can avoid aging, but aging productively is something else.”Katharine GrahamAging happens. Most of you are too young to think about it happening to you (althougheventually it will!). Or perhaps you do think about it because you see someone close to you whois aging. Aging is part of life – which means it is a part of biology. This exercise is designed toexplore the biology of aging.Question 1: What, in a biological sense, is aging? (9 points total)A) In 1-3 sentences, define aging in humans. (1 point)B) List 4 organ systems or biological processes in the human body that change with age, andbriefly describe the underlying biological causes of those changes. (4 points: maximumsuggested length = 300 words )C) Is there a difference between the process of aging and diseases that occur more often in oldage? Briefly state why you have concluded this. Be specific. (2 points: maximum suggestedlength = 300 words)D) At what age do the processes of aging begin? (2 points: maximum suggested length = 100words)Question 2: Why does aging occur? (6 points)Discuss two hypotheses on what causes the cells in our body to age. Include the scientificevidence supporting each hypothesis. Which hypothesis do you think is more likely to becorrect, and why? Are these hypotheses necessarily mutually exclusive?(maximum suggested length = 500 words)Question 3: Is aging “inherited”? (3 points)Is there a genetic basis for aging? Explore the evidence and discuss whether a person’s genescan influence how rapidly they age. Give at least 2 pieces of evidence that suggest there is agenetic component to aging. (maximum suggested length = 400 words)Question 4: Can we slow down aging? (5 points)There are many experimental treatments being explored to slow down various aspects of aging,and there are also many products being marketed that claim to affect the aging process. Chooseone experimental treatment and one marketed product. What (if any) scientific evidencesupports the use of these treatments and/or products?(Maximum suggested length = 500 words)Question 5: Give us your thoughts (2 points total)A) Choose one of the six quotes listed at the beginning of the lab, and tell us whether you agreeor disagree with it based on what you have learned completing this report, and why.(1 point: maximum suggested length = 100 words)B) From your research, do you think aging is inevitable, and is this a positive or a negative? (Asan aside, an interesting novel entitled “2030” by Albert Brooks is set in the future where mostdiseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s have been cured, the world population is skewedtowards old people, and explores the social consequences that ensue. Please note it is NOTrequired that you read this book – but it is fun!)(1 point: maximum suggested length = 100 words)
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