Study suggests scientists may need to rethink which genes control aging

(NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) National Institutes of Health researchers fed fruit flies antibiotics and monitored the lifetime activity of hundreds of genes that scientists have traditionally thought control aging. To their surprise, the antibiotics not only extended the lives of the flies but also dramatically changed the activity of many of these genes. Their results suggested that only about 30% of the genes traditionally associated with aging set an animal's internal clock while the rest reflect the body's response to bacteria.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news