No one can escape aging. But scientists have found that turtles and tortoises live much longer and barely age compared to humans and other animals. Continue reading Turtles barely age compared to humans and other animals
by Hannah Smithfigures by Xiaomeng Han If you ask any aging researcher, “What is the easiest way to make an animal in the lab live longer,” they will likely say “change what, or how much, they eat.” However, new research shows that it’s not just the food we eat that changes how we age, but that aging is also affected by the food we smell. … Continue reading The Surprising Influence of Smell on Aging
Scientists from North Carolina State University have applied deep learning algorithms to track neurodegeneration in worms, allowing for much faster image processing and extraction of cellular features that can distinguish between neurodegeneration arising from different sources. Continue reading Can an Artificial Brain Help Study a Real One?
by Isabella Grabskifigures by Jovana Andrejevic In 1935, a scientist named Clive McCay published a startling discovery: rats with severely restricted diets lived up to 33% longer than previously known possible. Over the last few decades, similar experiments have been carried out on countless species, from worms to rodents and even primates. The specifics vary from study to study, but many show results just as … Continue reading Can Calorie Restriction Extend Your Lifespan?
by Aditya Misra and Shreya Mathurfigures by Wei Wu and Jovana Andrejevic 117 million U.S. adults have one or more preventable chronic diseases related to diet, such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. In an effort to prevent this outcome for themselves, an estimated 45 million Americans try to be healthier by taking up a diet and spending upwards of a … Continue reading How Proper Dieting Can Restrict the Clock of Aging
Genes delivered by a virus successfully mitigated the effects of age-related diseases, such as heart and kidney disease, in a recent mouse study. Following this success, a similar gene therapy treatment is in trial to prevent a certain form of heart disease in dogs. Continue reading Gene therapy that helps prevent heart disease in mice now in trial for dogs
Shorter lifespan in worms is linked to changes in gene activity that in turn alter sugar metabolism. This highlights the importance of gene activity rather than DNA mutations as a driving force of aging. Continue reading Your DNA is only as old as it feels: epigenetic regulation of aging in roundworms
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks – but maybe you can have an old brain grow new neurons. New research published in Nature Medicine has shed some light onto the debated topic of whether adult brains can create new neurons in the hippocampus, the region of the brain that is important in short- and long-term memory consolidation. As you might expect, … Continue reading Old Brain, New Neurons?
by Patrick Griffin figures by Abby Burrus There has been much talk in recent years about the disconnectedness of coastal elites, epitomized by Silicon Valley characters such as VC-mogul Peter Thiel and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Their wealth and fame make them appear god-like, free of the mortal cares of middle-America. Yet, death, the great equalizer (it could also be said to be … Continue reading Even Silicon Valley’s Elite Age, but for How Long?
Naked mole rats are a peculiar species in the animal kingdom for a number of reasons. These wrinkled rodents are immune to cancer, insensitive to pain, and capable of surviving for up to 18 minutes in zero-oxygen environments. Recently, researchers have discovered that in addition to these peculiarities, naked mole rats — unlike all other mammalian species — simply do not age. In 1825, British … Continue reading Naked Mole Rats: An Exception to the Rule