A takedown of the Stanford study claiming humans age faster at 44 and 60
The researchers and Stanford's communications department overstated their conclusions and let major media do the same, trading nuance for juicy but misleading headlines. Here's how and why.
On August 14, Stanford researchers reported what seemed like a blockbuster finding: humans age much more rapidly at 44 and 60 years. Within hours, news articles and TV segments erupted across the internet like opium poppies in the Afghan spring. The collar-grabbing headlines were unanimous in pronouncing a new pan-human fact of life.
CNN: “Humans age dra…