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Yoda The Mouse Turns 4

Posted by timothy on from the beats-dog-years dept.

ChiralSoftware writes "Through some genetic engineering to reduce insulin output, Yoda the mouse has lived to over four years old, equivalent to 136 human years. Yoda is a third smaller than normal, and gets cold all the time so he must snuggle up with Princess Leia, his cage-mate, but he is alive and full of vigor at the ripe old age of 4. Who's next for insulin reduction?"

9 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. Longevity and diet by FlyingOrca · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Hmm, this makes me think of long-lived individuals from Japan. Seems to me that the traditional Japanese diet would, overall, have a very low glycemic index, and that could in turn promote long life as in this mouse. Anyone know more about this?

    --
    Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges.
    1. Re:Longevity and diet by WolfWithoutAClause · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Japanese generally eat a lot of rice- which has a pretty high glycemic index in fact; not dissimilar to bread. The Japanese average life expectancy is only a few year higher than America's.

      OTOH, those living in Yokinawa often eat a lot of sweet potato. Sweet potato has a reasonably low glycemic index- the Yokinawian's live a long while; orders of magnitude more over 90.

      --

      -WolfWithoutAClause

      "Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"
    2. Re:Longevity and diet by FlyingOrca · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yeah, I knew that about the rice. I wonder if it's bleached or brown that they eat; probably makes a difference. I was thinking more overall insulin release from their diet, though.

      Regarding average life expectancy, I wonder how the relative difference between the USA and Japan has changed as the Japanese diet has become more westernized. Maybe the exceptionally long-lived Japanese are those older folks who still follow a more traditional diet? Food for thought, anyway. No pun intended. ;-)

      That's very interesting about the sweet potato. I'd kind of been avoiding it; might have to reconsider. Cheers!

      --
      Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges.
  2. Slower metabolism = longer life? by StateOfTheUnion · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I remember a professor in university that said that one of the easiest way to increase lifespan was to consume about 20% less . . . it would slow down the metabolism and extend one's life if practiced over a lifetime. This was theorized as the reason why some Tibetan monks typically live much longer than other people living in the same area . . .

    I wonder if this mouse is doing something similar, but its been genetically engineered to be well . . . about 33% less . . .

  3. Insulin is the start of a long chain by Tau+Zero · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Maybe you won't have to mess with insulin, if something else further down the chain of effects (and more specific to aging) can be tweaked instead.

    And don't give up on this being useful. Have you followed the rate of improvement in assays and genetic screening, not to mention the huge leap in DNA sequencing? The way things are moving, we might be able to go from discovery of the biochemical basis of slower aging to confirmation in broad populations to "dietary supplements" that will give you many of the benefits in just a few years. Certified drugs will take longer, but you'll be able to use the same tests to confirm that your supplements are having the desired effect.

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    Time is Nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once... the bitch.
  4. What went through my mind... by Jorkapp · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Yoda... must snuggle up with Princess Leia

    Just the thought of Yoda and Princess Leia in bed together... I don't know whether to laugh or vomit.

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    Frink: Nice try floyd, but you were designed for scrubbing, and scrubbing is what you shall do.
  5. 4? Big Deal by John+Hasler · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I had a pet wild mouse that made it to seven. He ran about a mile a day in his wheel, and ate mostly peanuts.

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    Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
  6. Insulin REDUCTION?? by devphil · · Score: 1, Interesting


    I'm diabetic. Type I, juvenile onset. I have less insulin produced in my body than that damn mouse has in its whole life. Yet the lack of a working pancreas will reduce my lifespan, not extend it. Certainly not to 130-odd years.

    And I definitely won't get to snuggle up to Leia "just to keep warm".

    Dammit, I wanna be a lab mouse when I grow up.

    --
    You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
  7. Methuselah Mouse Prize by asterism · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If you want to see more of this type of research which will eventually be applied to humans, you can contribute to the Methuselah Mouse Prize. This prize will be awarded to the longest lived mouse.

    http://www.methuselahmouse.org/