How to Live Forever
First scientists figured out how to turn worms into homosexuals. Now they’ve learned how to make them live almost forever. Can they do the same for us?
An antidepressant drug called mianserin extended the lifespan of nematode worms by almost a third. According to BBC News, “the drug seems to mimic the effects on the body of the only known animal long-life regime?virtual starvation.”
Researcher Linda Buck says, “We don’t have any explanation for this. All we can say is that if we give the drug to calorific-restricted animals, it doesn’t increase their lifespan any further.” So at least we won’t have to starve too!
Art credit: freeimages.co.uk
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