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http://biosingularity.wordpress.com...ists-discover-a-gene-that-regulates-lifespan/
Scientist have discover a gene that regulates ageing and lifespan
Scientist have discover a gene that regulates ageing and lifespan
Congratulations on 5,000 posts!1!arildno said:Yeah, sure. I have nothing but contempt for biologists doing this type of shoddy work. Processes like "ageing" and lifespan is, at this time, way too complex to be handled properly from a scientific point of view.
To get some silly correlations is not the same as elucidating mechanisms.
Some silly correlation?arildno said:To get some silly correlations is not the same as elucidating mechanisms.
This is how science is done, you permutate the system and observe what happens. Players in a pathway have been found, now it is their task to find out exactly how the pathway work.from the link: To test their functions, they made mutants in both of these genes. Animals with a loss-of-function mutation in lin-4 had a lifespan that was significantly shorter than normal, suggesting that lin-4 prevents premature death. Conversely, over-expressing lin-4 led to a longer lifespan. They also found that a loss–of-function mutation in lin-14, the target of lin-4, caused the opposite effect — a 31 percent longer lifespan.
dumb, right, you never know what the impact will be of research findings. For instance, telomeres of tumor cells shorter faster than other cells because of the number of divisions they undergo. Such tumor cells produce telomerase to elongate their telomeres, anti-telomerase therapy would directly target tumor cells. Dumb? Same with free radicals, people get ill when they can't inactivate them.arildno said:It remains to be seen whether this particular find has more substance than, say, the brouhahas over telomeres and free radicals, to mention two previous, dumb research lines .
That is indeed the question. The fact that many species tend to die of old age around different "set" life times that seem to depend on the species (very few humans live to be over one hundred and none of us have lived to be thousands of years old like some trees for example) does point towards the conclusion that "death" might be programmed into the DNA in some way (as opposed to a strictly random occurance...if it was random, theoretically some humans could live to be thousands of years old but there is no evidence in many trillions of examples of this occurring).Why do trees live longer than humans ?
Nothing. The problem has never been the scientists themselves you know, in the middle ages it was always the "kings" that hired the scientists to search for the secret of immortality (so that they themselves could rule forever and avoid death). Chemisty for example, was originally created by "alchemists" who were trying to figure out what it is that made "Gold" unreactive (in ancient times it was thought that since Gold didn't observably degrade in the same way that things like Iron did, that it holded some secret to immortality which is why all the rich people would quite literally "treasure" it...as it was a symbol of stability, permanence, and immortality). Of course, the alchemists failed in their attempt to "transform" Iron into Gold and now we know that Gold isn't as unreactive as people once thought anyways. Moral of the story: Who is to say *what* the end result of the search for the death gene will be? Either way, don't shoot the messenger, curiosity is one of the few "noble" things that humanity still has leftWhat do you genius mad life scientists plan to do about y/our aging bodies which will eventually die ?
Monique said:Thank you Renge Ishyo, nice post. I wonder what arildno comments would be on scientists looking for particles jumping to other dimensions, useless experiments or trying to get to know the system?
Blame the media for over-stating scientific results, if some physicist finds a particle that traveled to another dimension the media will immediately pick up and start talking about humans traveling in such a way, I'm sure.
This discovery is significant because it sheds light on the mechanisms that control the aging process and could potentially lead to advancements in anti-aging treatments. It also provides insight into the genetic factors that contribute to longevity.
This gene was discovered through extensive research and experimentation on various organisms, including mice and roundworms. Scientists were able to identify the gene and its role in regulating life span through genetic manipulation and observation of its effects on the organisms' life spans.
The potential implications of this discovery are far-reaching. It could lead to the development of new treatments and interventions for age-related diseases and conditions. It could also provide a better understanding of the aging process and potentially extend human life span.
No, this gene is not the only factor that influences life span. There are many other genetic and environmental factors that contribute to an individual's life span. However, this gene is a significant factor that plays a crucial role in regulating the aging process.
The next steps in this research are to further study and understand the mechanisms by which this gene regulates life span. Scientists will also continue to investigate the potential applications of this discovery in the development of anti-aging treatments and interventions.