Developing: Pakistani Plane Escorted by UK Fighter Jets — 2 Men Arrested

Doc Thompson’s 24-hour radio marathon, ‘#24forok,’ continues until 9 am ET — Listen Live!

Health

What Causes People to Go Bald? (Plus the Fascinating ‘Science of Aging’)

Mar. 15, 2013 6:01pm Liz Klimas

You might have heard that to determine the future of your hairline, you simply have to look at your mother’s father. But is this true?

ASAP Science tackles the issue in its latest episode.

Hair loss has been determined to be primarily a sex-linked trait, meaning it is passed down on either the X or Y chromosome. The gene for hair loss does in fact reside on the X chromosome. For males, this means if your mother had the gene for genetic hair loss on both of her X chromosomes (females are XX, males are XY) and if you were a male, then you would be guaranteed to get it. If, on the other hand, only one of her X chromosomes had this gene, a son would have a 50/50 chance.

ASAP Science Discusses Science of Balding and Aging and What Does Elderly Really Mean

(Image: ASAP Science/YouTube screenshot)

But why is looking at your mother’s father (your grandfather) often part of the saying as well? ASAP Science explains that if he exhibits baldness that it would indicate your mother has at least one copy of the X chromosome with this trait.

(Image: ASAP Science/YouTube screenshot)

This sex-linked gene, although studies have found it highly influential as it relates to hair loss, is not the only factor. ASAP Science discusses briefly other studies that have found related genes on other chromosomes and how factors like diet and exercise impact hair loss as well.

(Image: ASAP Science/YouTube screenshot)

Watch the video:

As we’re going down this road, how about aging in general? What is it that causes people to feel old in the first place? Last week, ASAP Science discussed what happens to the body scientifically as it ages:

NPR’s Linton Weeks is asking a question about aging too: when exactly does someone become elderly?

“A recent New York Times story calls a 69-year-old woman elderly. Philadelphia Metro considers 70 to be elderly. When NPR ran a story recently about a 71-year-old midwife, some readers objected to the word “elderly” in the original headline,” Weeks wrote.

Elderly, Weeks said, is becoming like many other words “politically incorrect.” He continues on detailing the historical definitions of the word, how other cultures and religions view it as a title to be respected, and why, perhaps, it has a negative connotation today.

All-in-all though, Weeks concludes “‘elderly’ may be more a state of being — or feeling — than a certain age. And the question may not be whether someone else thinks of you as elderly, but whether you think of yourself as elderly.”

Featured image via Shutterstock.com.

(H/T: GeekOSystem)

Benghazi, IRS, AP...What's next? Only TheBlaze TV offers the truth from Glenn Beck, Andrew Wilkow, and Real News from TheBlaze. Get instant access and a free trial here.

Back to The Blaze »

Comments (44)

tbarr4
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 2:53pm
FALLENEMPIRE works for Soros!!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Victoria1555
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 3:41am
I have 3 brothers all with different fathers. My only bald brother had a bald FATHER! And that side of the family all had crummy diets. I am 58 and since I have been organic for 38 years my **** is super thick and fast growing……I’ve gotten people’s **** to grow back in by helping them to be organic…..the minerals go FIRST to the organs and if there is anything left the **** grows…..if not it ceases to exist! Medical science can be so clueless………….

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
FallenEmpire
Posted on March 17, 2013 at 11:12pm
Why is it becoming a habit of Glenn Beck to link to youtube videos of obviously gay men. Do not trust Glenn Beck. He is in league with the anti-Christ. The overall narrative of his website has been to wussify his readers with his weak emotionalism. How many of you remember in 2010 when Glenn Beck had dozens of African Americans on his Glenn Beck show, then on Fox? As he was listening to them speak in a deep voice his entire body posture became limp and he started to choke up and fight off tears. I remember thinking before hes started to cry, he is going to cry, and he did.

Glenn Beck is a Psyop weapon of the Left used to revert his listeners to childish emotionalism. He peddled the information the Left wanted peddled 09-10 to hook you, bind you, and destroy you.

Do you really want your children to break down in tears when they debate someone? Of course not. Don’t let this loser influence your children. We agree with what he says most of the time, but not how he puts it across in a fashion of weakness.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- tbarr4
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 2:54pm
  You are a Communist Nobamanist Soros Employee!! Do you get paid by Pelosi, The DNC, PMSNBC, and Van Jones???
  
  Report this comment
righthanddrive
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 10:43am
…and when their government releases criminals and illegals, most folks get worried about their government and their safety and start tearing their **** out in anguish at the state of affairs in this country..Of course some say people lose their **** simply because of genetics.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
watashbuddyfriend
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 8:23am
“You might have heard that to determine the future of your hairline, you simply have to look at your mother’s father. But is this true?”

NO, it aint so; my mother’s father died at the age of 93 with a full set of ****!

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- john vincent
  Posted on March 16, 2013 at 9:36am
  -watash
  
  do you have a full head of ****?? if so, then you agree with this article- its not about baldness per se, its how the **** is kept- in this case, u should have a mane?? yes?
  
  But surely there are exceptions, but as a rule, this seems to be a fair assessment
  
  Report this comment
gyro
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 7:11am
Bald guys have more fun
http://youtu.be/K7fRMbQD-Tw

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Robert999
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 1:59am
I suppose these scientists are going to say there is some evolutionary reason for baldness, that it is some sort of survival characteristic. I’d like to read that because we know that evolution is Bunk.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- aircommando
  Posted on March 16, 2013 at 12:58pm
  Robetr999
  Evolution is Bunk
  
  This proves you have never shopped at Walmart.
  
  Report this comment
judyaz
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 1:28am
My mother is beginning to feel elderly at 86, after her 91-year-old sister died this year. Her other sister died at 94. But when Mom was young (which was past age 84) she thought young, laughed a lot, was playful, enjoyed trips, never could imagine anything else. Sometimes age is feeling bad, such as her allergies, injured knee (I told her not to be a weekend warrior moving four bags or fertilizer in the wheel barrow that tipped), arthritis that sometimes hurts her back. But she started working out at the gym at age 85, and now does 15 minutes on the elliptical machine, and then more equipment. She really felt old when her **** became too thin.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
media-bias-steals-elections
Posted on March 16, 2013 at 12:44am
Shhhhh, we can’t reveal state secrets why you should wear a cowboy hat without people laughing at you? Wink Wink?

Hey, after we get the cowboy hats back in style, we can wear those cool leather vests too?

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
C.Gallicchio
Posted on March 15, 2013 at 11:06pm
I am as old as i look and as young as I feel.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
woodyee
Posted on March 15, 2013 at 11:03pm
I’d like to here what Jon has to say about this…

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- gyro
  Posted on March 16, 2013 at 7:08am
  Me TO
  
  Report this comment
Southernsoul
Posted on March 15, 2013 at 7:40pm
Hey that works. My mother’s father died before I was born and all of my **** is dead, too.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- darkknight91
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 9:28pm
  Haha. That made me laugh.
  
  Report this comment
- ashestoashes
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 10:26pm
  I’ve always heard that you inherit it from your mother’s father..I have also heard that balding occurrs because of too much testosterone..good news huh? But as for the best news of all..I read in Reader’s Digest (I believe it was) that they have a pill for baldness coming out in a few years..It has to go through the worthless FDA of course..
  
  Report this comment
AUsername
Posted on March 15, 2013 at 7:11pm
Mobile Mirrors yay

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
loneindividual
Posted on March 15, 2013 at 7:03pm
screw those explanations.

Stress, yes
Disease & Clogging, yes
Hormone Production Slow-Down, Yes

But I don’t think that because you have the Dominant Balding Gene that you can’t resist it as an individual.

You as an Individual can choose which genes you wish to express.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
oicu814me2
Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:48pm
I never believed that about look at your mothers father.. My mothers father was bald at age 30 and I am 47 and have a full thick head of ****. My sisters son is 33 and bald and his mothers father ( also my father) has a full thick head of **** at age 77

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- spirited
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 8:14pm
  Your sister’s mother’s father was bald?
  
  >Perhaps your 33 year old bald nephew ‘got it’ from your mother’s father.
  
  Report this comment
- raydg
  Posted on March 16, 2013 at 12:29am
  My mother’s father and in fact most of the men in her family had a full set of ****. My dad side, all men are bald. So this study is not good enough. Need more research
  
  Report this comment
mikefromaltoona
Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:37pm
This story reminds me of a question I always have when I run across one of those late night infomercials for **** transplants.

If a man in his thirties notices a bald spot developing and has **** transplant surgery; wouldn’t the balding continue around the transplant area, requiring the man to have further transplants from time to time?

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- jeanr
  Posted on March 16, 2013 at 12:05am
  I always wondered that, too. BTW-we might have been neighbors at one point. I lived in the East End for a while. In Ebensburg now.
  
  Report this comment
UNALIEN
Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:29pm
What cases people to go Marxist..

If your father is a Marxist and your mother is a Communist and your mentor is a Communist and your early training is from a Marxist Community organizer and you associate with Marxists and Communists then what is the probability that you become a Marxist…

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- loneindividual
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:59pm
  lol, great comment
  
  Report this comment
- CatB
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 7:24pm
  I can think of a great example of your assumption ;-)
  
  Report this comment
- spirited
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 8:20pm
  Yes, and it’s not an X or Y
  
  >commie abcs
  
  Report this comment
- darkknight91
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 9:33pm
  Fun with Obamathematics
  
  Mommy + Daddy = Little Barry
  American + Kenyan = American
  White + Black = Black
  Atheist + Muslim/Atheist = Christian
  Communist + Communist = Free market, America loving capitalist
  
  Ain’t it great?
  
  Report this comment
STREBOR
Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:21pm
It’s those darn Levis (genes)

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
MiCurmudgeon
Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:19pm
Bald is beautiful …as well as neat !!

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- bitterclinger
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 7:43pm
  Not if you’re a wimmins.
  
  Report this comment
Rayblue
Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:19pm
There’s much to be said for baldness. No combs, brushes. Shampoo.
No dandruff if you polish it regularly.
Can’t have a bad **** day. People like to rub your head for luck.
Low maintenance women identify with you. Low maintenance men identify with you. Win, win there.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- The-Monk
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:32pm
  Howdy Rayblue,
  
  I prefer to only have one bald head…. : )
  
  Report this comment
- Rayblue
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:47pm
  Hi de ho Monk…
  If you can’t unirritate ‘em, reiterate ‘em.
  
  Report this comment
- braddock66
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:52pm
  I’ll take my flowing locks of thick beautiful **** at 41. Thank you very much.
  
  Report this comment
- spirited
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:57pm
  The “Howdy” really set the tone
  
  :^>ROTFLMBO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  Report this comment
- stopprintn
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 7:07pm
  and the chance of a **** in your food is decreased.
  
  Report this comment
- The-Monk
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 7:16pm
  Too funny Rayblue,
  
  LMAO !!!
  
  Report this comment
Nuclear Bumpkin
Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:10pm
Huh. I went bald because I own a Norelco.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
flatbroke
Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:07pm
wow i thought it was meaness, orneriness, and kids, that caused baldness.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- The Knave
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 6:21pm
  I blame my baldness on doing flip turns under the sheets…..
  
  Report this comment
- spirited
  Posted on March 15, 2013 at 8:25pm
  TMI
  
  ;^> lol
  
  Report this comment

It appears that you have Javascript Disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser preferences for a better user experience on TheBlaze. You can not comment without Javascript enabled.