Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Snapshot · Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Edward Norton Returns Again

Explore episode Jul 1, 2026

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Epigenome Anti-Aging, Age Hypotheticals, and the Last Fact Check

At 2:07:30 · chapter starts 2:04:10

The episode's most science-forward and most comedically unhinged sequence runs together. Dax delivers a surprisingly lucid explanation of epigenome science: aging isn't driven by DNA change but by the accumulation of errors in the epigenome — the regulatory layer above DNA — that alter which genes get switched on or off. Mice have had their epigenomes pruned back to a pre-error state, effectively reversing their biological age. The first human trial has started. This launches a genuinely funny-dark hypothetical about what age Monica would reset to and the ethical and practical consequences — touching on consent, dating, egg retrieval, airline points as a parallel (Dax admits he's never used a single point), taste buds, and the Mike Nichols biography confirmation. A university study of 30,000 athletes concluding that the gap between no exercise and a little exercise is enormous rounds out the facts. Monica signs off by announcing the show is going on summer hiatus for Fact Checks.

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