Aging & Senescence · §6
Hallmarks of aging on the substrate
All ten hallmarks of aging map onto substrate mechanisms with no orphans. Genomic instability and cellular senescence are R19 mis-flips and stuck attractors (RA2); telomere attrition and stem-cell exhaustion are reservoir depletion (RA3); loss of proteostasis, deregulated nutrient sensing and epigenetic drift are loop-gain loss and setpoint drift (RA1).
Each of the ten classical hallmarks is assigned to a single substrate phenomenon already reproduced in RA1–RA3, leaving zero orphans. The map is structural — every hallmark points to a mechanism that the engine demonstrates, with three hallmarks carrying an [O] tail for their absolute magnitude.
One substrate, ten hallmarks
The hallmarks of aging are usually a list. Here they are consequences of three substrate behaviours: switch mis-flips and absorbing arrest (RA2), finite-reservoir depletion (RA3), and the slow loss of loop gain that drifts setpoints (RA1). Each hallmark maps to exactly one, with no remainder.
| Hallmark | Substrate mechanism | Axis | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| genomic instability | R19 switch mis-flips (errored basin crossings) | RA2/substrate | [V] |
| telomere attrition | finite reservoir clock, capacity ~ gamma^1.5 | RA3 | [V] |
| epigenetic alteration | setpoint of the cis-drive threshold drifts | RA1 | [V] |
| loss of proteostasis | basin/loop-gain degradation (shallower barrier) | RA1 | [V] |
| deregulated nutrient sensing | FOXO3/IGF longevity-loop gain decline | RA1(longevity) | [V] |
| mitochondrial dysfunction | energy-supply gain drop -> setpoint drift | RA1 | [V]/[O] |
| cellular senescence | stuck (irreversible) arrested R19 attractor + SASP | RA2 | [V] |
| stem-cell exhaustion | reservoir depletion to the replicative limit | RA3 | [V] |
| altered intercellular comm. | SASP raises neighbours' crossing hazard (coupling) | RA2/RA5 | [V]/[O] |
| chronic inflammation | immunosenescence: clearance-loop gain decline | RA1/RA5 | [V]/[O] |
The structural completeness — every hallmark resolves to a demonstrated mechanism — is graded [V]. Where a hallmark's absolute size needs external calibration (mitochondrial output, intercellular coupling strength, inflammatory tone), the mapping carries a [V]/[O] tail.