Members of the first graduation class of Tuscarora High School toss their mortar boards into the air after the completion of the commencement ceremony held in the school’s gym Tuesday, June 12, 2012, in Leesburg, Va. How will they age in 20 years? (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

A team of researchers led by Duke University assistant professor Daniel Belsky believes that some of the secrets to the aging process may lie in understanding the phenomenon of why people grow “old” at such differing rates.

“By slowing down the aging process we could prevent not just one disease but many simultaneously,” Belsky, a researcher at Duke’s Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, said.

Scientists have long known that what happens at the very beginning of life, in the womb, can have powerful effects on a person’s health. But what about in the interim?

– Ariana Eunjung Cha

Source: Study of 1,000 38-year-olds shows ‘biological age’ ranges from 30 to 60 – The Washington Post