Where you live — your exposome — can make you age several years faster, increasing the risk of cognitive and functional decline. Our environments and surroundings — including pollution, social inequality and weak democratic institutions — significantly accelerate aging.
These findings were part of an new multinational study published in Nature Medicine involving an AUC research team led by Mohamed Salama, professor at the University’s Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, and Sara Moustafa (MSc ’16, PhD ’24), a postdoctoral fellow in AUC’s aging research group. The results present the first scientific evidence that combined living conditions beyond individual lifestyle affect aging.
Using advanced artificial intelligence and epidemiological modeling, the researchers analyzed environmental, social and political factors and their impact on brain aging, building on the impactful work conducted at AUC focusing on aging and brain health. “Our team at AUC has been successful in contributing to international research in this field, promising to better understand determinants of healthy aging in Egypt and adding to global knowledge,” said Salama.
The study involved 161,981 individuals across 40 countries and was led by a multinational team from Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. “Diversity in research is not a luxury anymore,” said Salama, who is also a senior fellow at the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI). “Including countries from Africa and the Middle East is essential to understanding the global risks and challenges for brain health.”
The research introduces a global exposome framework and shows that multiple exposures can predict bio-behavioral age gaps (BBAGs), a novel measure of accelerated aging. BBAGs are the difference between a person’s actual age and the age predicted by their health, cognition, education, functionality and risk factors like cardiometabolic health or sensory impairments.
"Our team at AUC has been successful in contributing to international research in this field, promising to better understand determinants of healthy aging in Egypt and adding to global knowledge."
Agustin Ibanez, corresponding author of the study and a researcher at the GBHI and Latin American Brain Health Institute, noted that people need to stop thinking of brain health as a purely individual responsibility and consider a more ecological and neurosyndemic framework. “Our biological age reflects the world we live in,” he said. “Exposure to toxic air, political instability and inequality, of course, affect society, but also shapes our health.”
In an age of rising populism, environmental degradation and global displacement, the study emphasizes that understanding how environments affect brain aging is a scientific, political, ethical and health imperative. “This is not a metaphor,” said Hernan Hernandez, first author of the study. “Environmental and political conditions leave measurable fingerprints across 40 countries, revealing a clear gradient of accelerated aging from Africa to Latin America, Asia and Europe
Several types of exposures were linked to faster aging: physical factors such as poor air quality; social factors, including migration as well as economic and gender inequality; in addition to sociopolitical factors, such as lack of political representation, limited party freedom, restricted voting rights, unfair elections and weak democracies. Higher BBAGs were also associated with real-world consequences: They predicted future declines in both cognitive abilities and daily functioning. People with larger age gaps were more likely to show significant losses in these areas over time.
"Diversity in research is not a luxury anymore. Including countries from Africa and the Middle East is essential to understanding the global risks and challenges for brain health.”
“Whether a person ages in a healthy or accelerated way is shaped not only by individual choices or biology, but also by their physical, social and political environments — and these effects vary widely between countries,” said Sandra Beaz, co-corresponding author and Atlantic Fellow of the GBHI at Trinity College.
The study redefines healthy aging as an environmental, social and political phenomenon, highlighting that public health strategies must expand beyond lifestyle prescriptions to address structural inequalities and governance deficits.
“Governments, international organizations and public health leaders must urgently act to reshape environments, from reducing air pollution to strengthening democratic institutions,” said Hernando Santamaria-Garcia, co-first author and a GBHI fellow, adding that these go beyond climate or governance issues to inform urgent health interventions.
Global study presents the first scientific evidence that combined living conditions shaped by political, economic and social factors beyond individual lifestyle affect aging.
Alumni and faculty from the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications (JRMC) have received international recognition for their work this summer.
At the International Communication Association (ICA) annual conference held in Denver, Colorado, Laila Abbas (MA ’24) received the Top Dissertation Award for her master’s thesis, titled, “Emotionally Stimulated Activism on TikTok: The Impact of Exposure to Audiovisual Moral Violations on Collective Action in the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ Movement.”
Her thesis supervisor Professor Shahira Fahmy said, “Laila’s accomplishment is a testament to the outstanding quality of work produced at AUC, as she competed against top PhD dissertations from around the globe and emerged victorious. This showcases our students’ potential to excel well beyond the ordinary.”
Abbas recently joined a communications PhD program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“This accomplishment is a testament to the outstanding quality of work produced at AUC... This showcases our students’ potential to excel well beyond the ordinary.”
Menna Elhosary (MA ’24) was also awarded for her work at the ICA, receiving the Top Student Paper Award in the Visual Communication Division — with an acceptance rate of only 31% — for her paper, “Pixels of Prejudices: Decoding Embedded Biases in AI-generated News Imagery and their Implications for Visual Journalism — Toward an Algorithmic Mediated Visual Framing.” Elhosary is currently pursuing a PhD at City St George’s, University of London.
Professor of Practice Kim Fox was also among those recognized this summer, receiving global attention across cultural platforms for an audio piece she co-produced, featuring vocals from Hana Afifi ’14, called Birdland Refracted. The piece was shortlisted for the Audio Flux Circuit 05 competition and was chosen as one of only four Circuit Selects, premiering as part of the Sound Scene Festival at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C.
Ahead of that debut, Birdland Refracted aired on LRT Radijas, the main public radio network in Lithuania, introducing the work to a European audience. The piece also drew attention from the media industry, earning a mention in Nieman Lab, and it was featured in the Happy Hour/Happy Ears 05 Finalist Listening Party.
In the thick of the summer and with a new academic year on the horizon, AUC is excited to discover how its creative faculty, alumni and students will continue to excel in their fields.
AUC honored two faculty members during the June 2025 undergraduate commencement for their distinguished contributions to research and academic service at the University.
This year’s winners are:
"I am truly honored, humbled and gratified by this major recognition from AUC."
ElBatt has made impactful contributions in the areas of wireless communications, networking, mobile computing, machine learning over networks, and ICT for Good, including digital health. He has been recognized as one of the top 2% most impactful scientists globally in the Stanford-Elsevier's Scopus database of the most cited scientists. He was also recently selected as a fellow of the African Academy of Sciences and was the only Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Communications Society Distinguished Lecturer affiliated with Egypt or Africa in the 2023-2024 class and the second since the program started in 2005.
"I am truly honored, humbled and gratified by this major recognition from AUC,” said ElBatt. “This award means a lot to me, and it's due to the grace of Allah, the constant support of my family and the great support of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, the school and the University, as well as the immense dedication, knowledge and skills of the talented researchers, students and collaborators whom I had the privilege of working with over the years at AUC.”
“I am honored to be part of such a vibrant community of peers who contribute to and value the vital role of service in creating a culture of excellence.”
Serving as director of the Center for Learning and Teaching (CLT) since 2018, Mostafa has shown sustained institutional service. She is chair of the Quality of Education Task Force, served on numerous committees and task forces on academic excellence, and was a member of the AUC Learning Spaces Strategic Plan Task Force. She also contributed to major University initiatives, such as AUC Road to College and AUC Online. In addition, she spearheads design thinking activities at AUC and represents the University in the Global Design Thinking Alliance and Design Thinking in Afrika in partnership with the University of Cape Town.
“This award represents a special milestone in my academic and service career at AUC,” said Mostafa. “I am honored to be part of such a vibrant community of peers who contribute to and value the vital role of service in creating a culture of excellence.”
Hesham Sallam, professor of vertebrate paleontology at AUC’s Institute of Global Health and Human Ecology, is the co-author of a recently published study that marks the first documentation of the internal anatomy of amphibious whales that lived more than 40 million years ago. The study not only reveals new findings on the evolution of the brain size and sensory systems of early whales, but it also challenges the long-standing assumption that complex brain development in whales occurred only after their full transition from land to aquatic organisms.
Conducted by an international team of scientists from Egypt, Germany, Italy and the United States, the study provides insights into one of the most significant periods in the history of mammals — the transition of whales from land to sea. As the authors put it, the study represents “a remarkable leap forward” in our modern-day understanding of the early stages of whale neurological development.
“Egyptian fossils remain a gold mine for understanding major evolutionary transitions, such as the development of whales.”
Using high-resolution computed imagery to examine the skull anatomy of whale fossils from Egypt’s Sahara Desert, the scientists have shown that the ancestors of modern whales developed larger brains than was previously thought while maintaining their land-based sense of smell, even after becoming semiaquatic.
“Thanks to modern technology, we can now detect features in fossil whales that were previously beyond our reach,” said Sallam.
The research is based on CT scans of two well-preserved fossil skulls unearthed from Egypt’s Sahara Desert, representing two species of early whales: Protocetus atavus, which lived approximately 43 million years ago, and Aegyptocetus tarfa, dating back to around 41 million years ago. Both belong to Protocetidae, a family of four-legged, mostly semiaquatic whales that are now extinct. The skull of Protocetus was originally excavated from Egypt over a century ago and is preserved in the collection of the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History. “Egyptian fossils remain a gold mine for understanding major evolutionary transitions, such as the development of whales,” said Sallam.
The research team digitally reconstructed the internal anatomy of the skulls, enabling the first detailed view of both the cavity and olfactory (smell-processing) regions in the brains of these ancient whales. “Studying the brain anatomy of these ancient whales offers us a unique window into the historic moment when whales began to cognitively diverge from life on land while still retaining their ancestral sensory ties to it,” said Sallam.
The results showed that Protocetus had a relatively large brain compared to other whales of its time, revealing that brain enlargement in whales occurred prior to what has been historically documented. In addition, both Protocetus and Aegyptocetus had well-developed olfactory structures, indicating that early whales preserved their sense of smell inherited from their ancestors who lived on land. This represents a stark difference from modern-toothed whales (odontocetes), in which the sense of smell is nonexistent, and baleen whales (mysticetes), where it is significantly reduced.
“Studying the brain anatomy of these ancient whales offers us a unique window into the historic moment when whales began to cognitively diverge from life on land while still retaining their ancestral sensory ties to it.”
To interpret these findings, the researchers used a broad comparative framework that included a large dataset of contemporary and extinct mammals — both terrestrial and aquatic — to assess how brain size and olfactory structures in Protocetus fit into larger evolutionary patterns for mammals. Their observations reinforced the notion that cognitive and sensory changes in whales began well before they fully transitioned from land to aquatic organisms.
“These whales exhibited a blend of adaptations that underscored their aquatic abilities but also retained ties to the land,” the authors noted. Their anatomy shows that they were still capable of navigating both environments. For instance, early whales could detect airborne cues while on land, an ability that was probably important for reproductive or social behavior. However, this sense of smell would not have been beneficial underwater, as Protocetus and Aegyptocetus would have held their breath beneath the surface, making their sense of smell inactive.
The study emphasizes the importance of modern imaging techniques in helping scientists analyze fossil collections, leading to transformative discoveries. “Our findings reshape the narrative about whale evolution,” said Abdullah Gohar, co-author of the study, a PhD student at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences and a member of the Sallam Lab.
AUC Professor Hesham Sallam and Abdullah Gohar, a PhD student at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, are the two co-authors from Egypt
3D reconstruction of the brain endocast and olfactory tracts and bulbs of the early whale Protocetus atavus, digitally segmented from high-resolution CT scans. Top and middle: endocast within the skull in dorsal and lateral views. Bottom: isolated endocast showing the relative development of the brain and olfactory structures; Photos by Eli Amson, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart
