The source code for humanity is stored in our DNA. As we age the sequence might stay constant, but there are chemical changes that occur to our DNA.

Observing those changes could lead to new techniques to halt or even reverse age-related disease. Columbia University researchers discovered that it might be possible to record and store information about cells as they age.

The technique—a sort of biological DVR—is achieved using the CRISPR-Cas system over a period of days. In the future, this could allow researchers to very closely study how, exactly, we age. If we can quantify aging at a cellular level, maybe we can reverse it.