Category Archives: Genetics of aging

On Calorie Restriction, Monkeys, Magic and Medicine

Since 1935, scientists have known that putting rodents on very low calorie diets extends their lifespans. Scores of studies since then have shown that such calorie restriction (CR) can extend lifespan across species in a way suggesting it delays the onset of diseases of aging, extending healthspans (the proportion of life spent in good health) [...]
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Did a Gerontogene Halt Peter Pan’s Sexual Development?

It’s not every day that scientists base a study on an idea behind the story of Peter Pan. But as the research showed, the notion that slow development goes with longer life—which in the immortal Peter’s case meant completely arrested development along with no aging—has implications that reach far beyond Neverland: Led by Rong Yuan [...]
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Scientific American on TOR and Aging

If you follow aging science—and my guess is that you’re one of those mortal, aging types who do—you might want to take a look at the latest issue of Scientific American (the January 2012 issue), which has a cover story I wrote for the magazine about research on target of rapamycin (TOR) and its implications [...]
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Yes, Red Wine May Hold Some Answers. Recheck Dosage.

If you’ve tuned into the resveratrol story over the past five years, you’ve probably heard that you’d need to take giant doses of the red-wine ingredient to do any good. That idea was based on mouse studies in 2006 that showed massive doses of the compound blocked bad effects of eating too much fat. A [...]
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Sirtuin News For Mammals

The negative buzz about sirtuins recently grew louder when Science ran a lengthy news piece on Dec. 2 titled, “Aging Genes: The Sirtuin Story Unravels.” The article played up studies in lower organisms casting doubt on earlier high-profile reports that sirtuin enzmes play major roles in aging, which in turn challenged the idea that they [...]
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An Accidental Anti-Aging Drug?

Researchers recently reported encouraging news about an experimental drug Merck is developing to boost HDL, the good cholesterol. In a study of 1,623 patients, the drug, anacetrapib, more than doubled HDL levels while also lowering LDL, the bad cholesterol. Best of all, it didn’t raise blood pressure, a side effect that contributed to Pfizer’s decision [...]
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