During my previous post I mentioned how the evolutionary theory of aging was tested empirically by selective breeding of fruit flies for longevity and later on for shorter lifespans. The longer lived fruit flies obtained in the lab got the nickname of Methuselah flies. Displaying a longer mean and maximum lifespan, they expressed hundreds of…… Continue reading How targeting multiple aging pathways doubled the maximum lifespan of fruit flies
Tag: aging
How to play with evolution in the lab to create longer-lived animals
I was a college student when I first stumbled upon the “Ending Aging” book by Dr. Aubrey de Grey. I read that book cover to cover but I never got highly enthusiastic about SENS since there were important details which didn’t make sense. The types of damage that humans incur as they age are excellently…… Continue reading How to play with evolution in the lab to create longer-lived animals
What pregnancy taught me about aging
After spending the last years of my life pondering on aging and working with people at the end of their lives, I welcomed the challenge of turning one fertilized egg into an adult. This marathon is not over yet. For reasons unknown to me, it is unusual to be interested in longevity while being female.…… Continue reading What pregnancy taught me about aging
Why is the Greenland shark the longest living vertebrate?
When I wrote ‘The aging gap between species’, the longest living vertebrate was the bowhead whale at 211 years old. The latter still holds the record for the longest living mammal, but these days the vertebrate record is held by the Greenland shark at 392 years. Determining age in bony fish is done by counting…… Continue reading Why is the Greenland shark the longest living vertebrate?