Time's relentless ticking echoes unmistakably
In this week's newsletter, Anne shares her thoughts on the re-airing of her favourite episode, "Tyranny of Time," and reflects on the profound impact of her series, Deep Time, on her perspective of time.
"Tyranny of Time," a thought-provoking episode, takes listeners on a journey from prehistoric caves to the edges of the universe, exploring concepts such as relativity, quantum entanglement, and chronobiology. Cosmologists traced the 13.5 billion years it took to grow stars, galaxies, and planets, offering a humbling perspective on the vastness of time.
Anne finds comfort in the perspective that our moment can seem both endless and over in the blink of an eye. This week, she expresses gratitude for the opportunity to revisit this episode, hoping it will spark new ideas for the readers.
Last year, Stanford medical researchers made a groundbreaking discovery: the human aging process is not a steady and gradual decline but occurs in sudden bursts at specific ages, notably around 34, 60, and 78 years. These bursts involve significant biological shifts triggered by changes in protein levels in the blood, causing accelerated muscle loss, skin deterioration, reduced immune cell numbers, increased cardiovascular risk, and a higher likelihood of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's[1][2][3].
This research contrasts with the traditional view of aging as a continuous decline, highlighting distinct periods of rapid biological change. Understanding these bursts can help in preparing for and potentially mitigating the most adverse effects of aging. However, some caution is advised as psychological and lifestyle factors linked to mid-life and late-life crises might also influence or coincide with these bursts, rather than the changes being purely biological[1].
Interestingly, Anne's own experiences seem to align with this new understanding of aging. Between the ages of 61 and 63, she experienced aches in her joints, crepey skin, and falls, including a long staircase accident.
Deep Time, Anne's series, began as a social and political criticism of time, questioning its governance over lives, the concept of time as money, the universality of Western time, and the innate temporality of Earth. However, Anne recently realised that her series has shifted her actual experience of time, reducing her anxiety about running out of time and lessening her fear of things coming to an end.
Anne also mentions a memorable walk through the eons of years it took to form Earth's crust with geologist Marcia Bjornerud, an experience that further deepened her understanding of time and its vastness.
As Anne continues to explore the complexities of time, she reminds us to appreciate each moment and the rapid biological changes that come with aging, while also preparing for the challenges that lie ahead.
[1] Stanford Medicine News Centre. (2020, October 1). Aging occurs in sudden bursts, not a steady decline, study finds. Stanford University. Retrieved from https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/10/aging-occurs-in-sudden-bursts-not-a-steady-decline-study-finds.html
[2] Stanford Medicine News Centre. (2020, October 1). Aging occurs in sudden bursts, not a steady decline, study finds. Stanford University. Retrieved from https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/10/aging-occurs-in-sudden-bursts-not-a-steady-decline-study-finds.html
[3] Stanford Medicine News Centre. (2020, October 1). Aging occurs in sudden bursts, not a steady decline, study finds. Stanford University. Retrieved from https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/10/aging-occurs-in-sudden-bursts-not-a-steady-decline-study-finds.html
In light of new research that reveals the human aging process does not follow a steady decline but occurs in sudden bursts, Anne reflects on the potential correlation between her own accelerated aging experiences and these biological shifts, underscoring the significant impact her series, Deep Time, has had on her perspective not only of time but also of health-and-wellness, delving into the aging process as part of her personal journey. As her series originally aimed to criticize the constructive role of time in society, Anne now sees a need to incorporate the science of aging into her narrative, emphasizing the importance of integrating this knowledge into our understanding of health-and-wellness and life journey, in the hope of fostering a healthier approach to aging in the series' future discussions on series such as science and health-and-wellness, and aging.
