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The Daily

Can We Reverse Aging?

The Daily

The New York Times

News, Daily News

4.3107.6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 May 2026

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The quest for a “cure” for aging — a way to remain youthful, even as we get older — is a project as old as humanity. It’s also a big business; products, therapies and treatments intended to moderate or reverse aging are part of a $2 trillion global wellness market that’s only getting bigger. But there have been some recent breakthroughs in the science of longevity that could be pivotal for the field. These discoveries have to do with cellular rejuvenation, which is the idea that scientists could take a cell that has aged, and make it function like a younger version of itself. On this episode of “The Sunday Daily,” the host Rachel Abrams talks with Susan Dominus, a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, about this new research, the scientists behind it and who is funding this scientific quest for longer lives.

Transcript

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0:00.0

From the New York Times, I'm Rachel Abrams, and this is the daily on Sunday.

0:10.0

Since the beginning of time, humans have quested for the fountain of youth.

0:13.9

And these days, people are pouring billions and billions of dollars into products and therapies and treatments that are intended to reverse aging.

0:25.1

And now, scientists may have gotten closer than ever before to treatments that could restore our youth.

0:32.7

Today, I talk with my colleague Susan Dominus, who spoke with some of those scientists about their research and where the money that is funding it is coming from.

0:44.2

It's Sunday, May 17th.

0:50.9

Sue Dominois, welcome to The Daily.

0:53.2

Thank you so much for having me. So Sue, you cover the intersection of culture and science, and recently you have been focused on a very particular pursuit by a very particular group of people who are really interested in living longer. So I want to start with something very basic, which is what is longevity science?

1:13.7

So longevity science can be described in a bunch of different ways. I mean, there obviously

1:18.5

are people who are researching peptides and who are selling supplements and who are urging

1:23.4

health interventions. But it's basically the science of how we can live longer and how we can slow

1:30.1

aging. And the research that I have become particularly interested in is something known as

1:36.0

cellular rejuvenation. And just explain what that is. So cellular rejuvenation is basically

1:42.6

this idea that we can take a cell that has aged and make it function like a younger version of itself.

1:51.1

And one of the reasons why we believe this can be made to happen is because of something that happens every single time a baby is born.

2:00.8

And what is that?

2:01.9

Well, let me ask you a question.

2:04.3

Why is a baby born young?

2:09.9

I feel like this is a trick.

2:11.6

I know.

2:12.0

It seems intuitive, but it's actually not.

2:15.0

Because although eggs and sperm are relatively protected from aging,

...

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