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Health

How working out your ageotype could help you live healthier for longer

Your body is ageing down one of four - or more - possible pathways. Figuring out your "ageotype" could help you zero in on the things you can do to stay healthier for longer

By Graham Lawton

9 August 2023

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Fabio Buonocore

THERE is a (probably apocryphal) story about Henry Ford sending agents out to junkyards across the US in search of scrapped Model Ts. The famous industrialist wanted to know which of the car’s vital components failed first, so he could do something about it. The agents reported back that every bit of the car was susceptible to failure, but some were more susceptible than others, except for one – a component of the steering system called the kingpin, which almost never failed. They expected Ford to announce plans to extend the working lives of the weaker components. Instead, he ordered…

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