Comments on: New telomerase finding only a small-medium sized deal

By: admin

admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:30:41 +0000

Charlie:
Welcome to the blog anmd good to see you joining in. I will check out the Nature paper and comment on it either as a comment here or as part of some new blog post. In 1994 I was one of a tiny group of fringe people who thought that telomeres and telomerase may provide important keys to understanding aging. Now I am hearing of new important telomerasse papers almost daily.
Vince

By: Charlie Stromeyer Jr.

Charlie Stromeyer Jr. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:22:15 +0000

Hi Vince,

I like your blog and this new paper in “Nature” which describes novel connections between iPS cells ~ telomerase ~ telomeres:

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature08792.html

By: admin

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:27:27 +0000

Res

Yes. An interesting observation. But I did not watch “unbreakable.”

The scientists who study evolution point out an interesting factor. Species in environments where there are no or fewer predators tend to have longer and longer life spans. Where there are more active predators, reproduction earlier in life and shorter life spans are favored.

Vince

By: Res

Res — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:43:37 +0000

Hi Vince
I think you might have watched “unbreakable”. If there is a genetic variation that a mutation in LMNA gene causes progeria, it is equally possible to have a mutation that promotes youthfulness.
Such a genetic modification/mutation might have been the reason for the extraordinary longevity of the parrots who live longer(100+ years!) or cockatoos or storm petrels