Telomere Dynamics in Aging: Much Ado About Nothing?

A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again. (Alexander Pope Essay on Criticism) Pieria was a region of ancient Macedonia that included Mount Olympus and was the home and site of worship of the Muses, the inspirers of art and science. Drinking from the Pierian spring was thought to be a source of divine knowledge and inspiration. English words that include -peia, -poeia, and -poiesis, for example, are allusions to this source of creative and productive potential. Pope was alluding to the idea that a little learning can make you feel as though you understand a great deal. However, deeper drinking of the fountain of knowledge brings an understanding of greater complexities that were initially unperceived. Aging is characterized by two kinds of change: adventitious, observable or measurable change that does not limit life span or imply an emerging decline in function, and incipient or initiatory, observable or measurable change that does imply an emerging decline in function. The first category of change is real but is incidental to the underlying aging process. The second category heralds meaningful pathophysiological change that augurs later health problems and possibly shortened survival.