Podcasts · Science Quickly

Are Blue Zones real?

· 17 min

Episode Are Blue Zones real?

0:00 16:38

Longevity research has fueled books, documentaries and billion-dollar industries, but how much of it stands up to scrutiny? In this episode, researcher Saul Justin Newman explains why he believes that the evidence behind Blue Zones, antiaging interventions and some of the biggest claims in longevity science may be far weaker than advertised and what the debate reveals about our enduring quest to live longer.

Recommended Reading:

Morbid. Saul Justin Newman. MIT Press, 2026

‘Universal’ aging clocks offer new clues to longevity

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Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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