Jump to Features in This Special Collection: In Science Magazine In Science's SAGE KE In Science's STKE

Though we tend to speak of "aging" as a generic condition, its most devastating manifestations -- things like the deterioration of bones, joints, and neurons -- seem maddeningly specific to particular organs and tissues. Science Magazine and its online Knowledge Environments team up in this joint special issue to explore how we age "piece by piece." In Science, News, Viewpoint, and Review articles examine aging from a variety of perspectives, ranging from trends in osteoporosis research to the potential of specific model systems for improving our understanding of a variety of age-related ailments. Articles posted on the Science of Aging Knowledge Environment focus on aging in a range of tissue-specific contexts -- the adrenal cortex, the skeleton, the neuroendocrine system -- and also look at the prospects for rejuvenating tissues. And the Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment reviews the signaling pathways that underlie the response of bone-building cells in response to mechanical stress, a topic with considerable relevance to treatment of osteoporosis.