Would you even WANT to live to 100? Hang on, new question: How about 180? Researchers at U.C. San Diego may have just figured out how to extend our lifespan by over 80%. (!!!)
Before you get too excited, they haven't tried it on people yet, just yeast. (???) But it could be a big deal. Here's a very basic explanation . . .
We age because our cells start breaking down, and a previous study found it happens for two reasons: Their mitochondria gets weaker, and our DNA becomes less stable.
That's true for yeast cells too. But they basically rewired and tricked them, so those two things wouldn't happen at the same time. Instead, they alternate.
They found that when each one got to take little breaks like that, it slowed down the aging process in general. And the yeast cells lived 82% longer.
They say it's just "proof-of-concept" for now, but they think the same type of gene therapy will work on human cells too. The main concern is, will it be safe?
(EurekAlert / Vice / Interesting Engineering)