[extropy-chat] antiaging paper

[The Avantguardian]

      Interesting article about an interesting gene. I
have seen the life prolonging effects of super oxide
dismutase work in transgenic drosophilia before. The
flies that have the extra SOD gene live aproximately
50%-100% longer and remain far more active through out
their lifetime than their non-enhanced counterparts.  
It's purpose is to disarm free O2- free radicals by
converting them to hydrogen peroxide and molecular
oxygen. 
     The authors seem to favor placing SOD function
into the programmed senescence model of aging as
opposed to the breakdown/ failure model. Other
evidence for this model are the series of genes that
are induced to activate when we age. These genes
constitute a gain of function rather than a loss of
function even though their downstream effects are
debilitating. My opinion is that these two models are
not mutually exclusive. That is to say, I think there
is a gradual breakdown in cellular function AND there
are genes whose function, at least late in life, is to
mediate this breakdown.
--- scerir <scerir at libero.it> wrote:

> JCB, Sept. 27
> http://www.jcb.org/cgi/content/abstract/166/7/1055
> and also
>
http://www.genetics.org/cgi/content/abstract/163/1/35
> 
> It seems that the above Italian talents (in USA),
> and especially Valter Longo, found something
> interesting.
> At least there are several newspapers saying
> that today, here. Yeats lifetime extended 5 times!
> Rats lifetime extended by about 50%. Aging mechanism
> seen as part of (past but also *present*) evolution.
> And so on. But I do not understand this stuff at
> all,
> so I'm just pointing it out to the estropicos.
> s.
> 
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>
http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo/extropy-chat
> 


=====
The Avantguardian 


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