aging process

Molecular biologists have discovered how the growth of leaves and the aging process of plants are coordinated.

(Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research) In findings published in Nature, scientists have discovered that smaller, but more structurally diverse chemicals are a significant part of a living thing's biology.

When food is scarce or colonies become crowded, young worms stop developing normally and enter the dauer stage.

In this form they can live, without eating or reproducing, for months -- about ten times longer than the worm's normal lifespan.

When the dauer finds greener pastures, it finally develops into an adult and resumes its normal aging process.

In addition to reducing one's risk for many common diseases, new research found that calorie restriction may slow the aging process.

Calorie restriction has long been shown to slow the aging process in rats and mice. Calorie restriction - cutting approximately 300 to 500 calories per day - had a similar biological effect in humans, and, therefore, may slow the aging process.

According to estimates there are 85,000 Alzheimer patients in Belgium and approximately 20,000 new cases every year.

This spectacular increase is due to the increasing aging population. Unfortunately it is still unclear precisely which aging process forms the basis of this spectacular rise in the occurrence of the disease.

Scientists have now discovered an important molecular link between Alzheimer's disease and the development of the typical plaques in the brains of Alzheimer patients.

Scientists have uncovered details about the mechanisms through which dietary restriction slows the aging process.

Working in yeast cells, they have linked ribosomes, the protein-making factories in living cells, and Gcn4, a specialized protein that aids in the expression of genetic information, to the pathways related to dietary response and aging.

Perhaps the aging process can't be stopped. But it can be predicted, and new research indicates that people may live longer and lead healthier lives as a result.

Researchers have developed a new biological marker that represents the age of a body's bones. It reveals that the speed of physical aging is strongly influenced by genetics.

Scientists have identified 25 genes regulating lifespan in two organisms separated by about 1.5 billion years in evolutionary change.

At least 15 of those genes have very similar versions in humans, suggesting that scientists may be able to target those genes to help slow down the aging process and treat age-related conditions.