Most of us grow up believing that, eventually, people simply die of “old age.” It sounds natural, even comforting, as if the body simply shuts itself down when time runs out. But new research suggests that idea may be more myth than medical fact.
In an extensive analysis led by Maryam Keshavarz and Dan Ehninger of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, scientists examined thousands of detailed autopsies to uncover what really ends human life. Their conclusion is that aging alone doesn’t kill us; instead, death almost always comes down to a specific biological failure, one that aging merely makes more likely.
Intrigued? Click through to discover what science reveals about why our bodies ultimately fail.