A schematic representation of the Szilard model of aging. Somatic mutations accumulate, interfering with the proper expression of genes, but the genetic and cellular redundancy of the organism prevents the impaired gene expression from leading to aging. However, the accumulation of somatic mutations also wears down the redundancy of the organism, causing an aging phenotype to manifest upon its exhaustion. Thus, the Szilard model is a feedforward loop, resulting in a phenotype after a period of latency.