(or 2!) Dying of old age, can you actually DIE because of the body being worn out, or is it always a disease or such? I read that if we cure every disease, we would live hundreds of years.

Question

Title! I don’t get it. Isn’t my finger getting worn from just being used for too long? Or will it eventually get worse because of something else?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Chromosomes (bundles of DNA) have “caps” on the ends called telomeres that keeps the DNA from getting damaged when replicating.

Over time, the telomeres can shorten, leading to cellular senescence, i.e. aging.