Age and mobility predict death better than one's 'molecular clock'

When it comes to predicting death, more rudimentary measures -- like a person's age or ability to walk or climb stairs -- are much more powerful predictors of survival than certain biomarkers. When comparing a broad set of survival indicators against telomere length -- DNA sequences that shrink with age -- the researchers found that using telomere length to predict mortality was only marginally better than a 'coin toss.' Age is, by far, the best predictor of death.