• Question: does oxygen cause aging?

    Asked by theo to Alex, Amy, Andy, Georgia, Ollie on 14 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Ollie Russell

      Ollie Russell answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Kind of. In our cell we make things called reactive oxygen species. These are oxygen atoms that are missing one or two of their electrons. This makes them very reactive. They basically move around the cell attacking DNA and proteins to try and steal an electron to replace its missing electrons.

      This can cause damage to DNA. If this damage isnt repaired then it can lead to a mutation in the DNA which causes ageing. These mutations are what cause things like grey hair and wrinkled skin.

Comments