As scientists note here, a number of reptilian and amphibian species exhibit negligible senescence, in that their mortality risk does not increase with age, at least not until very late life. The question has always been whether there is anything that can be learned from the cellular biochemistry of these species that can serve as the basis for enhancement therapies in mammals. There is no assurance that the basis of negligible senescence in any given species is simple enough to be useful. There is no assurance that even a simple difference could be safely ported over into mammalian biology given the biotechnology of the next few decades. Nonetheless, it is a topic of interest in the research community, a way to broaden the understanding of how differences in genetics and metabolism give rise to sizable differ…
Negligible Senescence in a Number of Reptilian and Amphibian Species
As scientists note here, a number of reptilian and amphibian species exhibit negligible senescence, in that their mortality risk does not increase with age, at least not until very late life. The question has always been whether there is anything that can be learned from the cellular biochemistry of these species that can serve as the basis for enhancement therapies in mammals. There is no assurance that the basis of negligible senescence in any given species is simple enough to be useful. There is no assurance that even a simple difference could be safely ported over into mammalian biology given the biotechnology of the next few decades. Nonetheless, it is a topic of interest in the research community, a way to broaden the understanding of how differences in genetics and metabolism give rise to sizable differ…