A debate has been ensuing on X/Twitter about Programmed aging in which unsurprisingly the question as to what is programmed aging came up. I thought I would ask chatGPT, Claude and Gemini for an answer. These are the answers: The prompt was: "what is the definition of programmed aging?" chatGPT: Programmed aging is the idea that aging is an evolved, genetically regulated process —more like a built-in “life-cycle program” that actively drives the gradual decline in function and increases the risk of death, rather than aging being only the passive accumulation of random damage. In this view: Aging happens because biological pathways are set up to shift the body into a late-life state (reduced repair/maintenance, altered immune/endocrine signaling, etc.), even if that late-life state is harmful to the individual . The “program” can be direct (genes/pathways exist to promote senescence/decline) or indirect/quasi-programmed (genes optimized for growth/...
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