You may try to control your weight, control what you eat and build daily routines to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a healthy look, but one thing you can’t control or change is the passing of time and your age. Shin-Ichiro Imai, PhD, a professor of developmental biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, believes in finding ways for people to age better than ever. He calls it productive aging.
Imai is using science to reveal avenues for older people to age in a way that’s healthier, having more energy and becoming more active. He’s motivated by the idea of humans having a metabolism of 10 to 20 years younger as they age. Studying basic mechanisms of aging and longevity, Imai had some breakthrough discoveries in his lab. Among the latest, identifying a previously unknown route for cellular fuel delivery. It’s a finding that could shed light on the process of aging and chronic diseases that accompany aging. Aging cells gradually lose their ability to take in and process fuel. By boosting the energy supply of aging cells, researchers hope to slow aging.

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Teacher Resources for the Video:

NGSS Disciplines Addressed in Standards Referenced Below:
• Life Sciences
• Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science

Discussion Questions:
• After viewing the video have students write down their explanation of how the NMN transporter affects NAD and Sirtuins and its potential impact on the aging process. Then have students share them in class as you discuss what students learned in the video.
• Have students discuss examples in the video of the practices of “Planning and Carrying Out Investigations” and “Analyzing and Interpreting Data.”

Activity Ideas:
• Use the video with a vocabulary activity focused on the terms below that are included in the video as well as others from the video you might select. Based on what they learn in the video, have students hypothesize the definition of each, share their ideas, and then finalize a definition based on their ideas and what they could also research.
• Use the video in a flipped learning activity focused on the research process and have students come to class prepared to share two insights gained by watching the video and two questions they’d like answered through their own or class research.

Vocabulary to Consider:
• Developmental Biology
• Metabolism
• Sirtuins

Resources for Additional Research:
• Learn more about the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices at the NSTA website.

Unique ID for the Video: IinAction-5
• Use the unique ID as a shortcut for students to find this specific video. Click on Search and choose “By Video ID.” Type in the Video ID as it appears above.

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