It is now possible to extend lifespan by more than five times. This is according to the latest research data that shows that scientists were able to extend worm lifespan by more than 500 percent.
Scientists are now able to extend a worm lifespan by more than 500 percent through tweaking their genetic makeup. The researchers were also surprised by the results and success of their experiment.
They said that was a longer lifespan extension than they had anticipated when they began working on this project. The average worm lifespan is two to three weeks. This made them the perfect candidates to research on how to extend their lifespan.
Extending worm lifespan
Researchers said that this experiment will help us understand more about our own lifespans. That is because warms like Caenorhabditis elegans can actually tell us more about how our bodies work. They can tell us about ourselves since we share similar metabolic pathways and various genes.
This study was able to genetically alter metabolic pathways of the worms just the right way to cause an extension of life by four to five times. molecular biologist Jarod Rollins from the MDI Biological Laboratory in Maine said the experiment results were very wild and almost unbelievable.
This also proved that the aging process is not controlled by one gene. The study showed that aging is controlled by various metabolic pathways and different network of genes which work together to ensure an organism is aging naturally.
Scientists, however, expressed doubt about such an experiment being carried out on humans. They argued that the human lifespan is very long and that makes them an inappropriate candidate for study.
However, by studying these worms, scientists will be able to have a deeper understanding of how humans age. They will also be able to gain insight into how the human lifespan can be extended.
Featured image by Pixabay
