Monthly Archives: September 2009

Revisiting telomere shortening yet-again

After coming up from burying myself for a month in the research leading to the Stem Cell Supply Chain Breakdown theory of aging, I decided to check on recent research relating this theory to the Telomere Shortening and Damage theory … Continue reading

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The stem cell supply chain – closing the loop for very long lives

Stem Cell Supply Chain Breakdown is the newest theory of aging described in my treatise and the one I am currently most excited about.  According to a simplified model of this theory a newly-conceived human embryo consists of pluripotent stem … Continue reading

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Cordyceps militaris and cancer

“Cordyceps militaris is pretty much the coolest mushroom ever(ref).”  It is a caterpillar killer that gets inside a pupa or larva (usually of a butterfly or moth).  From there it grows inside and bursts outside the insect shell in a horror … Continue reading

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Immunosenescence – No thanks for the memories

If extremely long lives are going to become possible, it will be necessary to discover effective means for averting or delaying immunosenescence, the process of the immune system losing functionality with advanced aging. This is a mini-treatise on immunosenescence.  It … Continue reading

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Hard work and hard-wired

I am working on a mini-treatise on immunosenescence for this blog – age related decline in immune functioning.  This is a very important topic insofar as longevity is concerned.  It is a knotty topic with a lot to say about it.  … Continue reading

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Progress on fighting glioblastoma

Very recently, Senator Ted Kennedy died from Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), possibly the deadliest known cancer(ref).  I lost a dear friend to it just three years ago.  This post looks at some of the GBM research over the last five years.  … Continue reading

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FOXO genes and protecting stem cells — What does resveratrol do?

This post is concerned with recent research focused on the impact of the FOXO (Forkhead) transcriptions factors on the health of hematopoietic stem cell pools in human bodies.  As regular readers of this blog may know, I see stem cells … Continue reading

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Health and longevity benefits of dark chocolate

I like this anti-aging medicine so much that I sometimes feel guilty when I eat it. There are some 380 distinct known chemicals in chocolate and many of those are bioactive.  However, the main beneficial ingredient in chocolate is the … Continue reading

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The “skinny” about the “fatso” gene FTO

Several studies have shown that variations in the FTO gene are associated with increased fatness and obesity in humans as well as, of course, mice and rats.  The gene is an ancient one.  “The FTO gene is well conserved and … Continue reading

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Hidden research laboratories

Suppose there were a place in the world where there is a concentration of research laboratories busy working on antibiotics, cures for diseases, means for neutralizing environmental toxins and other molecular approaches that make for longevity.  Suppose further that these … Continue reading

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