Mechanical Forces as the Forgotten Dimension of Stem Cell Aging: Why Static Niches Fail

Stem cells don't just respond to chemical signals—they feel their environment through mechanical forces.

As tissues stiffen with age (think arteries, skin, bone marrow), the mechanical cues that keep stem cells quiescent and functional change. The niche hardens, and stem cells lose their regenerative capacity not from exhaustion, but from misinterpreted physical signals.

What if aging isn't primarily stem cell depletion—it's niche mechanotransduction failure?