NPR85%
A microbiologist explains why we age and die 17%
By Regina G. Barber0% Jessica Yung0% Emily Kwong0% Rebecca Ramirez0%
10/29/2024, 7:00:20 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 8 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Authority, Loss Aversion, and Ambiguity (Equivocation), with Attempt to Sell a Product or Service as the most egregious example at 23.2% saturation with 39 hits. Analysis detected 162 faulty-reasoning hits from 168 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 32.3% and a BS Rank of 17% (14,093 of 16,813 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 83.80% of the article peer group.
Humans have seen a significant increase in life expectancy over the past 200 years — but not in overall lifespan.
Nobody on record has lived past 122 years.
So, for this early Halloween episode, host Regina G.
Barber asks: Why do we age and why do we die?
Microbiologist Venki Ramakrishnan explains some of the mechanisms inside of our bodies that contribute to our decay — and tells us if it's possible to intervene in the process.
Check out Venki Ramakrishnan's book Why We Die.
Curious about other biology news?
Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your topic on a future episode!
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
This episode was produced by Jessica Yung and edited by Rebecca Ramirez.
The facts were checked by Tyler Jones.
The audio engineer was Kwesi Lee.
Confirmation Bias
0%Confirmation Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
3.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anchoring Bias
0%Anchoring Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
8.2%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Availability Heuristic
4.8%Availability Heuristic
OverallThis article
4.8%AuthorRegina G. Barber
4.3%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
3.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Representativeness Heuristic
0%Representativeness Heuristic
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
8.2%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Hindsight Bias
0%Hindsight Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Overconfidence Bias
0%Overconfidence Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
3.9%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
2.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Framing Effect
0%Framing Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
16.3%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
11.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Loss Aversion
13.1%Loss Aversion
OverallThis article
13.1%AuthorRegina G. Barber
1.5%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Status Quo Bias
0%Status Quo Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
3.4%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Sunk Cost Effect
0%Sunk Cost Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Optimism Bias
0%Optimism Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
2%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
3.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Pessimism Bias
0%Pessimism Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
2.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Negativity Bias
0%Negativity Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
11.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Self-Serving Bias
0%Self-Serving Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
1.2%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
2.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Fundamental Attribution Error
0%Fundamental Attribution Error
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Actor-Observer Bias
0%Actor-Observer Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
In-Group Bias
0%In-Group Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
6%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
2.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
0%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Halo Effect
0%Halo Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
4.5%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
2.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Horn Effect
0%Horn Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Dunning-Kruger Effect
0%Dunning-Kruger Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Recency Bias
0%Recency Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
5.2%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Primacy Effect
0%Primacy Effect
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
1.1%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Blind-Spot Bias
0%Blind-Spot Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
1.1%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Ad Hominem
0%Ad Hominem
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Straw Man
0%Straw Man
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Authority
22%Appeal to Authority
OverallThis article
22%AuthorRegina G. Barber
7.9%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
6.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
False Dilemma
0%False Dilemma
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Slippery Slope
0%Slippery Slope
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Circular Reasoning
0%Circular Reasoning
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Hasty Generalization
4.8%Hasty Generalization
OverallThis article
4.8%AuthorRegina G. Barber
10.3%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
4.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Red Herring
0%Red Herring
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0.6%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Bandwagon
0%Bandwagon
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.7%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Emotion
0%Appeal to Emotion
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
1.2%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
6.6%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Begging the Question
0%Begging the Question
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Post Hoc (False Cause)
0%Post Hoc (False Cause)
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
2.4%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
2.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Tu Quoque
0%Tu Quoque
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Burden of Proof
8.3%Burden of Proof
OverallThis article
8.3%AuthorRegina G. Barber
1%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.4%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Appeal to Nature
0%Appeal to Nature
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
5.8%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Composition/Division
0%Composition/Division
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Anecdotal
0%Anecdotal
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
1.2%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
2.8%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
No True Scotsman
0%No True Scotsman
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Ambiguity (Equivocation)
11.9%Ambiguity (Equivocation)
OverallThis article
11.9%AuthorRegina G. Barber
6.2%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Gambler’s Fallacy
0%Gambler’s Fallacy
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Middle Ground
0%Middle Ground
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Personal Incredulity
0%Personal Incredulity
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Special Pleading
0%Special Pleading
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.2%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Genetic Fallacy
0%Genetic Fallacy
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.5%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Unattributed Quote
0%Unattributed Quote
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
1.4%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Quote-first Misdirection
0%Quote-first Misdirection
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.9%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Biased Writer Voice
0%Biased Writer Voice
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
3.8%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
3.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Indoctrination
8.3%Indoctrination
OverallThis article
8.3%AuthorRegina G. Barber
3.7%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Politically Left Leaning Bias
0%Politically Left Leaning Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
1.1%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Politically Right Leaning Bias
0%Politically Right Leaning Bias
OverallThis article
0%AuthorRegina G. Barber
0%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
23.2%Attempt to Sell a Product or Service
OverallThis article
23.2%AuthorRegina G. Barber
10.4%PublicationGoats and Soda (NPR)
0.3%Bar shows this article. Yellow and cyan markers show the selected author and publication averages.
168 words analyzed.
Analysis
Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.