The Download: a biological de-aging contest and why LLMs don’t reason

A competition called The Checkup invites participants to reverse their biological age over six months.

Biological age refers to a measure of how old a person’s body is based on health markers, rather than just the number of years since birth.

Unlike chronological age, which only increases, biological age can potentially decrease if health improves.

Around 500 people have signed up, and a leaderboard will track progress.

The contest raises questions about whether biological age can truly be measured or reversed.

The article’s author, Jessica Hamzelou, shares her personal experience joining the competition at age 40.

Biological age is often assessed using tools called aging clocks, which analyze various health indicators to estimate how well a person’s body is functioning compared to their actual age.