The Chinese Solar Machine Layer by Layer Fire in the Library The Mystery Behind Anesthesia
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Matt Kaeberlein, a scientist at University of Washington who studies aging in worms, says, "It's been a mystery for a long time as to why these naked mole rats are so much longer lived than mice." He says that the current study provides strong evidence that "one of the things that potentially underlies the extreme difference in life span in these animals" is their ability to maintain the health of proteins in cells.
Proteins are constantly unfolding and refolding, and can lose their proper shape or get damaged. Over time, the body loses the ability to deal with defective or improperly folded proteins, and they can accumulate and become toxic to cells. Indeed, the unhealthy aggregation of proteins in brain cells has also been implicated in several diseases of aging, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. This latest study, says Kaeberlein, fits well with research in other species suggesting that quality control of proteins is a key part of healthy aging.
"Our first plan is to try and identify the proteins that protect and are protected in naked mole rats," says Buffenstein. It may be that only certain proteins are critical for keeping cells healthy; for instance, naked mole rats may have differences in a class of proteins called chaperones, which help stabilize proteins by keeping them properly folded. The researchers believe that once these targets have been identified, it may be possible to mimic the protective strategies of naked mole rats in order to prevent aging-related disease in humans.
Guest (BeholdersEye)
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SoundsGr8tome
3 Comments
Mole Rats Longevity
Hmmm.....mole rats live only 30 years. Man lives to be about 75. Don't you think we should be studying/looking at animals that live LONGER than man (sea turtles live 300 years!) than at animals that live less than HALF as long as man?
To be sure, I see the logic of comparing them to lab rats, that are used for many experiments, because their responses to so many stimuli are similar to man's. But really......don't you think this has some validity?
And remember.....there are THREE basic types of people in the world.....those that can count, and those....that can't! :-)
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enantiomer2000
66 Comments
Re: Mole Rats Longevity
We should follow the SENS approach. Just dump 50 billion dollars a year. Or maybe all the money that people spend on quack anti-aging skin care products.
http://tinyurl.com/9z6cjo
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