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Articles related to focusing on healthy aging, prevention, mobility, cognition, nutrition, independence, and caregiving support.

3 min

At what age does your head reach full size? A deep dive into skull and brain development

By the age of seven, the human brain has already reached about 90% of its adult size, which significantly drives skull growth in early life. This initial rapid development often leads people to wonder, **at what age does your head reach full size?** The answer is more nuanced than a single number, involving rapid growth phases, suture fusion, and subtle, lifelong remodeling.

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4 min

What bones fuse together as you age? A guide to skeletal maturity

The human body is born with hundreds of individual bones, but this number significantly decreases as we reach adulthood through a process called ossification. So, **what bones fuse together as you age?** The answer involves some of the most critical structural components of your skeleton, strengthening your body and providing stability over a lifetime. This natural process is a fundamental part of healthy aging and skeletal maturation.

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3 min

At what age does the xiphoid process unite with the body?

While the xiphoid process is fully cartilaginous at birth, its fusion with the sternal body is a highly variable and unreliable process for precise age estimation. Typically, ossification and fusion occur after age 30, with complete union most often happening during the fourth or fifth decade of life. Factors such as genetics, ethnicity, and overall health influence the exact timing of when the xiphoid process unites with the body.

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4 min

What Happens to Cranial Sutures Over Time? A Lifelong Process of Change

Cranial sutures, the fibrous joints connecting the skull bones, begin to close during infancy, but many remain open well into adulthood. So, what happens to cranial sutures over time? This natural process, called ossification, is a slow transformation that reinforces the skull's protective structure.

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5 min

Who is the oldest person with situs inversus?

In 2019, a medical discovery revealed that an Oregon woman named Rose Marie Bentley, who died in 2017 at the age of 99, was believed to be the oldest person to live with a rare variant of situs inversus. Situs inversus is a congenital condition where a person's internal organs are mirrored from their normal positions. Bentley's case, which included the even rarer presence of situs inversus with levocardia, astonished medical students who discovered her unique anatomy after she donated her body to science.

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4 min

Squamous Sutures on the Skull Begin to Close After Age 60

According to research published by the National Institutes of Health, while many major cranial sutures fuse in early adulthood, one of the last to fully fuse is the squamous suture, which may close completely around age 60. This late-stage cranial ossification is particularly relevant for anthropologists and forensic scientists when estimating the age of an individual from skeletal remains.

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3 min

Do adults have an epiphyseal plate? The truth about skeletal maturity

The human skeleton completes its longitudinal growth journey typically by the early twenties, a fundamental process that directly answers the question: **Do adults have an epiphyseal plate?** This biological transition from active bone growth to a state of permanent skeletal maturity is a defining moment in human development.

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5 min

Understanding How Your Body Ages: Which part of the body does not age?

The human body is an intricate, dynamic system in a constant state of flux. While many of our body parts show noticeable signs of aging, the simple answer to 'Which part of the body does not age?' is none. Every cell and tissue in your body experiences the effects of time, albeit at vastly different rates.

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