Autophagy
The cell's recycling system — the process of breaking down and reusing damaged components. Its decline with age is one of the twelve hallmarks.
Education · Reference
Longevity
Glossary
Every technical term on this site, explained in plain English — no biology degree required. Terms link to each other and to the guides and Atlas pages that go deeper.
A
B
Biological age clock
A model that estimates biological age from biomarkers such as DNA methylation. A powerful research tool — and an easy thing to oversell as a personal health verdict.
C
Cellular senescence
A state where a cell stops dividing but stays alive, releasing inflammatory signals that can damage nearby cells. One of the twelve hallmarks of aging.
E
Epigenetics
The layer of instructions that decides which genes are switched on or off, without changing the DNA itself. Its patterns drift with age and drive biological-age clocks.
H
Hallmarks of aging
The twelve biological processes most researchers agree drive aging, first proposed in 2013 and updated in 2023. The shared vocabulary of aging biology.
I
Inflammaging
The chronic, low-grade inflammation that rises with age and is implicated in most age-related disease. One of the twelve hallmarks of aging.
N
NAD+
A coenzyme central to cellular energy and repair, whose levels decline with age. NAD+ precursors are popular supplements with thin human outcome data.
P
Proteostasis
The network of systems that keeps proteins correctly folded and clears the misfolded ones. Its failure is one of the twelve hallmarks of aging.
S
Sirtuins
A family of proteins linked to longevity in animal models, often tied to calorie restriction and NAD+. Popular with marketers; human evidence remains limited.
T
Telomeres
The protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, which shorten with each cell division. One of the twelve hallmarks of aging.
Not medical advice. This glossary explains scientific
terms in plain English. It cannot tell you anything about your own biology — always consult
qualified healthcare professionals for health decisions.
Understanding the terminology will not make you younger. It will make you harder to fool — and that is the first step.
Education mission · Souverain Labs