Practice Tests
IELTS Reading (AC) Task 1 #194

A. Longevity science, also known as geroscience, is a field of research that seeks to understand the biological mechanisms of aging and to develop interventions that can slow down the aging process and extend the healthy lifespan, or "healthspan." The goal is not simply to add more years to life, but to add more healthy, active, and disease-free years. This represents a paradigm shift from the traditional medical approach of treating individual age-related diseases to targeting the aging process itself as the root cause.

B. Researchers in this field are studying the fundamental "hallmarks of aging," which are the common cellular and molecular processes that contribute to aging across different species. These include things like genomic instability, the shortening of telomeres (the protective caps on the ends of our chromosomes), epigenetic alterations, and cellular senescence (a state where cells stop dividing but do not die, and instead release harmful inflammatory substances).

C. Based on this understanding, scientists are exploring a range of potential interventions. Caloric restriction has been shown to extend lifespan in many animal models, and researchers are now investigating drugs that might mimic its effects without the need for extreme dieting. Other promising avenues include therapies to clear senescent cells from the body ("senolytics") and interventions that target specific metabolic pathways associated with aging.

D. The prospect of extending human healthspan raises profound social and ethical questions. There are concerns about equitable access to longevity treatments, which could exacerbate existing inequalities. There are also demographic and economic questions about the impact of a significantly longer-living population on social systems like pensions and healthcare. While the science is still in its early stages, the field of longevity research holds the potential to revolutionise medicine and fundamentally change our experience of growing old.