Based off a work published on “Genome Biology,” a BBC news article announces that scientists have developed a way to reveal one’s “biological age,” by testing how quickly the body is ageing. After performing a comparative gene analysis of individuals from ages 25-60, scientists were able to identify the genes that were markers of both healthy and unhealthy aging. From there, a test was created that analysed 150 genes within the DNA of any individual, and used it to identify their “aging signature.” In order to test their new method, researchers collected gene samples from a group of 70 men, and applied those samples to find the biological age of each volunteer. Using this data, the researchers were able to infer who was likely to die within the next few years, and who would stay alive and well. While this technique could lead to a multitude of medical advancements, it also is a source of great controversy. Critics have suggested that the test is inaccurate because it does not factor in other variables such as lifestyle and eating habits. In addition, the test could cause problems for those wishing to receive benefits such as healthcare and organ transplantation.
Despite controversy, the development of the biological age test is important because it can lead to numerous advancements in healthcare, especially in the fields of organ transplantation and diagnostics. Apparently, if proven to be sufficient, the test will allow for a large increase in organ transplants from those who would typically be considered too old to donate organs, but are biologically young. This would ultimately change current protocols for donations and transplants, inevitably leading to a reduction in waiting lists for organs. In addition, the author states that the use of the test would alter cancer screening protocols, requiring those who are aging quickly to be screened more often, along with less mandated screenings for people who are aging well. With progress, the test also shows capability to become a reliable assessment tool for onset predictions of neurodegenerative diseases, such a dementia or alzheimer's. Overall, the test has great potential to change the medical world as we know it.
I personally find this article to be really interesting, because it provides great information without overwhelming or confusing the reader. In addition, I feel that biological age is important subject matter due to it’s potential to change many areas of medicine, including diagnosis and insurance matters. However, I agree with critics of the biological age test, who are skeptical of it’s accuracy due to the test’s failure to factor individual lifestyle into the calculations. Researchers working on this project are clearly off to a good start, but need to continue their studies before any developments can truly be applied to the medical field.
I read Samantha's review on, "Test Shows How Old Your Body Really Is". I thought she did a good job of summarizing the test as well as the side effects of the test. The summary was easy to read and to the point. I also thought she did a good job of addressing how the test can really change the medical world and become a tool to predict diseases like dementia. The final thing I think Samantha did well was address why people object to the test because it doesn't weigh in other factors like eating habits.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I think Samantha could have done better was provide more details about the test and the experiment as a whole because her summary was very brief. Another thing I think she could have done better was include a quote from one of the people involved in the test. Finally, some sentences were arranged in a weird manner which made some ideas unclear.
From this review I learned that by testing certain genes, one can find out if they are aging healthily or unhealthily. This test also might help people live longer and catch detrimental diseases more quickly. This review is important because these kinds of tests might appear more often in the future and start affecting our generation.
While reading Samantha’s review of the article “Test Shows How Old Your Body Really Is,” I noticed she had some very strong aspects that she incorporated. Her summary and explanation were good because they were both concise and informative, including relevant details necessary in the context of the article and explaining them. Another strong point was that she included the criticism of this new test to show both sides of it, which I thought really put the benefits of the article in perspective. Samantha’s connection to the real world was also great; it was evident that she put a lot of thought into how the test would influence the medical world.
ReplyDeleteAlthough her review was good, there are some things she could work on for next time. I think that incorporating a quote into the summary part would have been beneficial to put an expert’s or recipient of the test’s thoughts in there. She also could have explored how the scientists were able to track and mark the genes to enable this test to be created.
This thing that struck me the most after reading this article was how in the UK scientists are using this to see if older people with a young biological age can successfully donate organs to those in need. If the experimental procedures do in fact work as a result of this biological age testing, it would be a remarkable breakthrough for science and help a ton of people all over the world.
Gallagher, James. "Test Shows How Old Your Body Really Is - BBC News." BBC News. BBC, 7 Sept. 2015. Web. 01 Oct. 2015. .
Samantha’s review on the article, “Tests Show How Old Your Body Really Is,” brought to my attention this scientific breakthrough of determining how quickly the body is ageing. Her review was very clear and easy to read; her statement of the main idea of the article in the first sentence was especially helpful, so this was a great aspect of the review. Also, Samantha’s use of specific data from the comparative gene analysis added strong proof for this new discovery, and allowed me to have a deeper understanding of this new test. I also appreciated how she addressed the controversy among this topic; it was interesting to read about other points of view regarding whether this gene test is truly significant to the medical world.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this review was well written, I do have a couple suggestions. Her summary of the gene analysis was good; however, it would have been better to include a direct quote from the article, possibly from one of the doctors, to provide the reader with a more professional viewpoint. In addition to addressing the controversy of this topic, Samantha also offered her own opinion on the validity of the test. I think she should have gone into greater detail on her opinion just to give the reader a sense of her thoughts on this recently debated test.
As previously stated, this article and review introduced an entirely new field of research to me. I had no idea that there was such an exam that calculated your biological age, and how this test has many positive impacts on our society and the medical world as a whole. I am now very interested in this idea of older people being biologically young, yet having the power to effectively donate organs to others in need.
I thought Samantha’s review on the article “Test Shows How Old Your Body Really Is” by James Gallagher, was very interesting and well written. I thought she did a great job with structuring the review so that it was organized and flowed well. She began with explaining how the main experiment was collected, and how the data from that experiment led to these new tests that checked how a person was aging. Secondly, she explained the significance well, pointing out aspects that I wouldn’t have thought about it by myself. For example, she went into detail about how these tests can impact organ donations, cancer screening, and other health related issues. She also did a nice job of including her opinion about the validity and accuracy of these tests, which are believed to be controversial because of its inaccuracy and possible problems with health care.
ReplyDeleteOverall, she did a great job explaining and shortening the article so that we could comprehend what was happening. But, I think adding quotes from the article would have added to her review, just because her work would have connected more with the article she wrote about. For example, adding a statement from someone who was opposed to these testings, would have helped better explain their opinion. I also think she could have broken down the experiment conducted into simpler steps, and have explained the procedure more thoroughly. She did do a good job at describing it, but a little bit more would have made it more understandable.
This article was very interesting, and I think it's pretty amazing that scientists can actually find out a person’s age just from their genes. It’s still pretty primitive, but the fact that they can collect the data and understand the difference between each gene is a step forward in research.
Samantha, I thought your review of the article “Test Shows How Old Your Body Really Is” had some very strong aspects. First, I thought your analysis of the (potential) long-term effect of this study and how, if proven, could affect the entire field of medicine was on point. It made the entire review more interesting because I was on edge to see what this “groundbreaking” survey had in store for the medicine world. Second, I thought your summary was very concise and to the point. While reading, I did not come across anything that seemed overly superfluous and unnecessary. Finally, I thought the fact that you elaborated on the “criticism” of the test was excellent because it showed both sides of the experiment. Through this, I furthered my understanding of the scientific method, and specifically, how experiments must be corroborated by other scientists in order for them to be considered valid.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of your review, I have two things to suggest as constructive criticism. First, I would suggest adding to your summary paragraph. After reading the original article, it feels like you left certain things out that, if added to the review, would make it stronger and more detailed. Specifically, I would include details about how the experiment was conducted. In addition, I would suggest utilizing quotes from the article in your review. By supplementing your summary (and possibly your analysis) with some quotes, an expert opinion would suddenly be established within the review, adding remarkable credibility to it.
One thing that astonished me about the experiment was the fact that these scientists forgot to control the “lifestyle” variable. While they seem like respected scientists coming from a reputable institution, the fact that they made such a huge, basic mistake in their experiment design that essentially caused most of their work to be discredited is astounding to me. After an education and life in scientific experimentation conduction, one would think that controlling all the variables needed to be controlled would be at the forefront of any scientist’s list.
Samantha's review of “Test Shows How Old Your Body Really Is” opened my eyes to an implementation of biology which I previously had never heard of and did a very good job in presenting the new information. Samantha started her review with a very clear topic sentence which helped me easily grasp her main idea. Samantha then did a great job in explaining her ideas with several statistics and elaborated on these statistics so that they were not merely stated numbers. I also really liked how in the second paragraph Samantha gives the views of both the positive and negative sides to this new test. Presenting both sides allowed me to form my own opinion without the particular influence of one side.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Samantha did a very good job summarizing and shortening the article, I would appreciate it if she went into more detail towards how the procedure itself is conducted. The test is revolutionary and it would be very interesting to see how the researchers were able to perform such a task. Also, some background to how this test was discovered would be very insightful. The idea of a biological age is not new and so how this method of testing it was discovered is very important.
What I found most intriguing about this article was how this procedure could be implemented into other practices such as organ donating to help make sure every organ is healthy. And, as Samantha had mentioned, this test will be able to warn people of their current condition so that they can monitor themselves to the extend which they need.