Fortunately, Julia Had a Very Well Developed USP54.

1. We Are Planning to Take Up Ice Hockey in 2064.?

As we pass into our 60s, we tend to think that our athletic days, such as they were, are now entirely in the rearview mirror. But, if the story of Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins means anything, it means that we have many more decades to go before we need to even pick our next sport. Hawkins, who died last week at the age of 108, held numerous age group records for the 100-meter dash and other sprint races. What is most remarkable about Hawkins is that she didn’t even start competitive racing until after she had turned 100.???

In 2016, Hawkin’s four children signed her up to compete in the Louisiana Senior Olympic Games.?Feeling confident about her abilities since she continued to work in her yard and sprint inside every time the phone rang, Hawkins entered the 50-meter dash and won, setting a 100+ world record with a time of 19.07 seconds. Over the last eight years, Hawkins has continued to compete, setting multiple world records in the 100-meter dash. In 2017, she clocked 30.62 seconds, setting the record for women-over-100 at the National Senior Games. Four years later, she ran another world record, this time in the women-over-105 category (a category that she pioneered), by running 1 minute and 2.95 seconds at the 2021 Louisiana Senior Games.???

When the New York Times asked Hawkins for the secret to her longevity, she replied, “marry a good man”, which we will take as a statement in support of the importance of social connection and family support to good health.???

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2. Fortunately, Julia Had a Very Well Developed USP54.

Everyone loses muscle mass as they age (even Julia Hawkins), but for large subsets of older people, the risks posed by sarcopenia – the progressive loss of muscle tissue – can be significant.? Sarcopenia can lead to falls, loss of mobility, and ultimately significant declines in health and elevated risks of morbidity. Treatments for sarcopenia and more mild forms of muscle loss are largely preventative: eat better, exercise more, and get regular physical exercise.?

But now, researchers hope to change that, and have taken the first step in a long journey towards better understanding muscle loss and potential treatments. Scientists at Nottingham Trent University in the UK have used artificial intelligence to identify genes associated with muscle loss and atrophy. The researchers were able to isolate 200 genes influencing—or being influenced by—aging and exercise, along with the strongest interactions between them.

One gene in particular—labeled as USP54 – appears to play a key role in the advancement of muscle aging and muscle degradation in older people. The findings on USP54 were confirmed in subsequent muscle biopsies from older adults, where the gene was found to be “highly expressed”.? The research team from Nottingham Trent believe that this discovery could ultimately lead to better targeted exercise interventions or even to drug therapies that would attempt to slow the progression of muscle tissue loss.???

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3. We Watch So You Don't Have To, Week 6.

And then there were four. In week 6, Joan sails forth for hometown visits to Lake Tahoe (Guy), Chicago (both Pascal and Jordan) and Wichita (Chock). This is where finally, things get real.?Joan gets to meet a skeptical family, who might wonder whether a made for television romance is good for dear old dad, or perhaps Joan might start asking herself some tougher life choice questions like, “do I really want to move to Kansas?”, or, “hey, why aren’t we talking about this guy moving to Bethesda, Maryland where I have a home and a job and a family?”.??

Not to worry, practical matters are not the priority on the Golden Bachelorette. Instead, we are treated to a boat ride across Lake Tahoe, a visit to Pascal’s salon which we grudgingly admit looks pretty fabulous, an eating tour of Chicago with Jordan (fabulous in a different way), and a memorial service for Chock’s mother on a Kansas ranch. And four families just love the hell out of Joan.?Fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and friends of the bachelors size up Joan and no one, just no one, has anything but positive things to say about her – at least while the tv cameras are on.?

Joan is struggling though, wondering who among the bachelors are in, and who might get cold feet.?This late in the game, Joan is beginning to wonder what might happen if she proposes to her chosen one and he then declines. Not the ending she, or really anyone, wants. She tells us that she is confident that Chock and Guy are all in but is uncertain about the level of commitment of Jordan and Pascal. It appears to be the right read on Chock, Guy and Jordan, but if you can trust his comments to the camera, it underestimates Pascal’s level of all in-ness.?

Joan chooses well. Chock, Pascal and Guy score the three roses, leaving Jordan out in the cold, and apropos of Joan’s concern, he doesn’t seem all that broken up about it. The remaining three bachelors and Joan toast the future and make plans to jet off to Tahiti and another round of cuts.