Miroslav Radman, a visionary molecular biologist, and geneticist, has dedicated his life to unraveling the secrets of aging and the processes that influence it. His groundbreaking research in the field of DNA repair mechanisms has not only expanded our knowledge of the molecular basis of aging but has also opened new avenues for potential interventions to combat age-related diseases. The "Fountain of Youth" takes you on a captivating journey through the remarkable career of this esteemed scientist, showcasing his profound impact on the understanding of aging and DNA repair.

There are some bacteria and even some animal species that are capable of resisting death. They are capable of resisting radiation doses that are 100 or even 1000 times higher than the maximal doses capable to kill humans. One of them is Deinococcus radiodurans which is known as the most robust living bacteria. Its capacity to resist radiation and dehydration do not lie in the protection of its genome. Research demonstrates that the protection of its proteins is responsible for this resistance.

The root cause of aging and age-related diseases is protein oxidation. There are several theories regarding the cause of aging. So far, the hypothesis of protein damage as a cause of aging integrates and interprets all the known knowledge on the subject without contradicting any studies and theories on the subject.

Proteins are the carriers of function. Genes are just the plans for the construction of proteins. To cause oxidative damage to proteins two things are necessary: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) that will oxidize proteins & The susceptibility of that protein to get oxidized → this is due to the difference of conformation of proteins.

Levels of protein damage increase with the levels of free radicals. Nature developed two principles in order to avoid protein damage by free radicals. When protein oxidation is variable (DNA and other molecules oxidation is stable) with variable levels of chaperones, mutation rates with varying protein carbonylation increased over 1000x the mutation rate. The more predisposing to disease the mutation is, the more the protein is sensitive to oxidation.

It is necessary to understand death/cell death in order to understand aging and age-related diseases. The chemistry of death is not the damage to genes/DNA but the damage to proteins, the oxidation of proteins.

Mitochondria is responsible for cell metabolism = source of energy for all biological processes in the cell. The mitochondria uses oxygen to function (oxidative metabolism) which causes the production of free radicals or superoxides.

Nanotubes are tunneling structures that extend from cell membranes and that allow cell-to-cell communication via the transfer of molecules, organelles and even viruses. Cells communicating via cellular parabiosis can correct a phenotype by compensating the lack of a protein necessary for the functioning of the cell. Inflammation disrupts cellular parabiosis by breaking down the TNTs.

There are different reactions of people to the extension of life. Contrary to what Réné Descartes said “I think, therefore I am” it is emotions that are the best diagnostics that we are alive.