Exciting new studies have succeeded in reversing the ill effects of aging in mice. United Biotechnology says their focus is not on getting humans to live much longer than 150 years, but rather to enhance people’s ‘health-spans,’ by keeping people’s minds and bodies healthier for longer. See: Unity Biotechnology to stop aging
A February 2016 study published in Nature in particular sparked a lot of interest on senescent cells. In it, researchers from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine purged mice of their senescent cells twice a week. The mice who had these cells removed ended up with healthier hearts and kidneys and fewer cataracts than the mice that were the same age but didn’t have their senescent cells cleared. They also tended to be more active and live longer than the control mice.
Here’s a look at what a pair of genetically identical mice that were the same age looked like. The one on the right has had its senescent cells cleared:
Yes, aging like the mouse on the right looks much funner than the one on the left. But if we are living to 150, we better be laser focused on efficient resource management and how to keep our planet healthy.
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