Strange

Fruit Flies Flaunt Fountain of Youth

by ScienceDave | June 10, 2007 at 09:04 am

624 views | 11 Recommendations | 5 comments

Preliminary evidence for a biochemical fountain of youth may now exist, but, as renown 15th century Spaniard Explorer Ponce be Leon once claimed, it ain't in Florida (although the propensity for geriatrics to reside there might prove otherwise).

A study published this week in Nature Chemical Biology could provide the key to increased longevity in humans by studying fruit flies. Furthermore, that key appears to be fairly straight forward.

...the discovery that a single protein can inhibit aging holds implications for human longevity and for treatment of some of the world’s most feared diseases.

“This work...demonstrates that a single inhibitor can dramatically alter lifespan, a very complex trait. It is remarkable that you can alter it with a single genetic change.

“We don’t really need to make fruit flies live longer, but if we understand how to do this, our approach may have direct application to higher organisms, such as ourselves.”

Normally, it would be assumed that processes as complex as organismal aging would be controlled by a variety of different genes. Given these results, it is surprising then that this wasn't the case for fruit fly aging.

Flies with a blocked receptor saw their lives extended by a third, with no apparent side effects.

That said, we might not have to swim with giant alien cocoons to regain our youthful exuberance come ripe, old age.

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Jordan Yerman

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 09:34 on June 10th, 2007

That is just downright fascinating. If the protein-key to human aging is as relatively simple, I wonder at the larger implications: to what extent would soft-tissue survive; i.e. would we have a population of 200-year-old blind people? What about our bones? What about the psychological effects of living beyond what the the human body was originally intended for? There'd be a bit of a scary gap between the ability to live beyond one's sell-by date and the brain's eventual evolution to match the new, extended human experience. (Dave's articles are making me wish I paid closer attention during my life-sciences classes...)

ScienceDave

at 09:43 on June 10th, 2007

Good question....just because we might be able to live longer, theoretically, doesn't mean we will. The fruit flies studied didn't go to work, smoke, drink, been in love, lost love, etc.

How much of own experience (both physical and psychological) dictates how healthy we are, and how old the royal we will live on average?

Barry Artiste

at 10:10 on June 10th, 2007

Good story, though living for an extended period of time over the norm may seem ideal, as Jordan states, 200 year old blind people, brings to mind that living longer may not be ideal if your quality of life has been greatly diminished, pensions would run out as well. This also taking into consideration that our brain cells die by the hundreds of thousands at a rapid rate beginning from birth until our demise. Unless they can find a way to generate brain cells as fast as they die to go along with this extended life, it will all be pretty much a Moot point. I do not think society is ready to raise geriatics with the mental capacity of a newborn.

Jordan Yerman

at 14:36 on June 10th, 2007

Well put, Barry. A scenario could arise in which a grown-up child must care for geriatric parents and hyper-geriatric grandparents-- I can't think of anywhere whose social-care system could manage this.