Editorial
Old age and prosperity are closely related
Whisky can thus taste like fruits, flowers, coconuts, or vanilla and can be peaty, salty, or sweet. A total of 60 to 80 percent of the substances that give whisky its flavor come from the wood. These substances include tannins and flavors from liquids previously aged in the barrels (e.g. red wine, sherry, rum), which is why special whiskies are often aged in used barrels. More than 300 volatile chemical substances are responsible for a variety of flavors.
Wood is porous: Every year, 0.5 to 2 percent of the whisky in barrels evaporates as the “angels’ share.” Among other things, the rate of evaporation depends on the surrounding environment. The more humid the climate, the lower the level of alcohol evaporation.
New spirit tastes sharp and metallic. This undesired taste gradually disappears as the whisky ages in the barrel. This change is brought about by a layer of charcoal inside the barrel that is created in a charring process.
The headspace is the space between the barrel lid and the whisky. The more whisky that evaporates over time, the bigger will be the headspace and the more intense will be the oxidation process.
The alcohol absorbs not only flavors from the wood but also pigments that cause whisky to get darker with time.
3,200,000 people on Earth will be more than 100 years old in 2050, according to the United Nations. In 2011 there were only 316,600 people that age.
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Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes. They shorten each time the cell divides, and when they get too short the cell becomes aged or dies.
Eating and sleeping well are important, and so are positive social connections. Good social relationships, especially with your partner, also help. Couples who have been together for a long time have longer telomeres. It’s also helpful to do a mind-body activity on most days. Ten minutes of meditation or qigong can be enough.
It’s not normal stress that ages us—it’s toxic stress. Our minds influence our rate of cell aging. People who are dissatisfied with their lives have shorter telomeres.
Elissa Epel holds a degree in psychology and is the co-author, together with Nobel Prize laureate Elizabeth Blackburn, of The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer (Grand Central Publishing).