In a fascinating new study, human life expectancy – which is rarely included in analyses of human impacts on the environment – emerged as the key predictor of invasive species and extinctions. The study, published inEcology and Society, examined a combination of 15 social and ecological variables – from tourism and per capita gross domestic […]
Male Holocaust survivors have a longer life expectancy compared to those who didn’t experience the Holocaust, according to researchers from the University of Haifa and Leiden University. The surprising findings have just been published in PLOS ONE. Previous studies have shown that traumatic experiences can shorten life-expectancy and there is even genetic evidence that trauma […]
The difference in male and female longevity may be originating at the genome level, say Japanese researchers who suggest that the sperm genome has a detrimental effect on longevity in mammals. Their study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, found that female mice produced by using genetic material from two mothers but no father live […]
Living with a female mouse can extend the reproductive life of a male mouse by as much as 20 percent, according to a study which scientists say has significant implications for the maintenance of male fertility in wildlife, livestock and even human populations. The decline in fertility appeared to be due in part to defects […]
The hormonal changes that occur when mice eat significantly less may help explain how a low calorie diet can extend the lifespan of rodents, a benefit that even regular exercise does not achieve. “We know that being lean rather than obese is protective from many diseases, but key rodent studies tell us that being lean […]
Biologists from Brown University have found that eliminating germline stem cells (the cells that make eggs and sperm) lengthens the life of fruit flies and alters the insects’ insulin production. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers say their findings indicate that molecular signals from the reproductive system affect aging […]
Nematode worms treated with lithium showed an astonishing 46 percent increase in lifespan, raising the tantalizing question of whether humans taking the bipolar treatment are also taking an anti-aging medication. Conducted by the Buck Institute, the study results were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Lithium has been used to treat mood disorders for […]
Investigating the aging process in flies, researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) have established that while older flies accumulate very large populations of bacteria, the infestations don’t seem to hasten the insects’ death. The surprising finding, published in Cell Press, suggests that the energy expended by the immune system to fight the burgeoning […]
Remember the introduction of the Compact Disc? We were told they would never wear out and couldn’t be damaged in normal use. It’s a pity they forgot to tell us that a small scratch in the wrong place could render them unplayable. The longevity and robustness of optical discs – CDs and DVDs – has […]
