Topic 8 - What Is Aging?

Question 1

What is biological ageing?

Answer 1

Biological ageing refers to changes that occur with increasing chronological age and are deleterious (reduce or disrupt normal function), progressive (take place gradually), intrinsic (not a result of a modifiable environmental change) and universal (occur in all members of a species). See also senescence. (T8P3)

Question 2

What is meant by senescence?

Answer 2

A term that is often used as an alternative to biological ageing, because the term ‘ageing’ does not discriminate between chronological and biological ageing. When used together with other terms it can have a specific meaning (e.g. replicative senescence). See also biological ageing.