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It seems like some folks have just plain won the longevity gene lottery. They get to live to be a hundred because they inherited DNA from their parents that keeps them spry, alert and mentally sound no matter what their age. I know a very [...]

1993 was the year Cynthia Kenyon's lab made an historic breakthrough. By partially disabling a gene called daf-2, her team able to double the lifespan of worms, the largest extension of life in any organism at the time. On top of that, the worms were [...]

Here’s the hard truth: all the fancy serums, lotions and supplements in the world can’t stop skin aging. But the good news is that wise lifestyle tweaks can slow it down. And fortunately, they don’t require much money, and no needles are involved. First, let’s [...]

It sounds like a far-fetched idea. The idea that you can reverse or slow down your aging by applying a tiny amount of electric current to your ear – just about enough to cause a slight tickling sensation. But that’s what researchers at the University [...]

Since the late 1990s fullerenes have been shown to extend the lifespan of mice by anywhere from 5 to 14% even when the treatment was started halfway through their lives. But it wasn't until 2012 that the full impact of their potential struck home. Scientists [...]

Poor red meat – it just can’t get a break. Vegetarians, of course, blame it for every ill under the sun, not even counting cruelty to animals. The actual scientific evidence goes back and forth: It increases cancer risk, but not much. It decreases your [...]

It’s not exactly breaking news that women live longer than men. According to the Centers for Disease Control,1 the average life expectancy for men in the United States is 76.4, compared to 81.2 for women. There’s plenty of other evidence, too. Take, for instance, the [...]

Stiff, aching joints, osteoporotic bones, Alzheimer's disease, lesions that cause heart attacks and strokes: all these nasty “diseases of aging” have one thing in common -- senescent cells. Also called zombie cells, they stop normal cell division and lose their ability to function, but they [...]

In a just-published paper, biochemists at Oxford University, England, state that "immune activity and life expectancy seem to be intricately linked." But as we age, the immune system becomes less effective. The process even has its own name - immunosenescence. The good news is that [...]

We’re all aware -- or should be -- that aerobic fitness lowers the risk of developing heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's. It also decreases the risk of death and can potentially prolong life. But there’s more to being in shape than heart rate and respiration. [...]

Blood pressure is a well-known indicator of cardiovascular health. But there's another test that requires no trip to the doctor's office, needs no other person or equipment, is easy and quick to carry out, and costs nothing. This test not only reveals information about your [...]

A revolutionary gene editing tool called CRISPR-Cas9 allows scientists to make precise changes to the DNA in any cell or organism. You’ve probably heard of CRISPR if you follow technology news at all. It’s the breakthrough that made it easy and cheap to modify genes. [...]

Chances are you’ve seen collagen listed in your favorite face or body lotion or even as a supplement in the vitamin aisle. The ingredient gets a lot of buzz, but with it comes a slew of questions. What exactly is collagen? Why does your body [...]

Wrinkles really could be a thing of the past thanks to a discovery by Japanese scientists. They've been able to pinpoint a protein that's vital to keeping youthful-looking skin, but which diminishes with aging. This discovery was a major achievement in itself -- but it [...]