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Flatworms Defy Aging Through Cell Division Tricks

Posted by Unknown on from the ail-hail-the-immortal-flatworm dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers from The University of Nottingham have demonstrated how a species of flatworm overcomes the aging process to be potentially immortal. The discovery, published (abstract; full text PDF) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is part of a project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Medical Research Council and may shed light on the possibilities of alleviating aging and age-related characteristics in human cells." After finding the gene for telomerase synthesis in the worms, the researchers were able to observe that the worms "...dramatically increase the activity of this gene when they regenerate, allowing stem cells to maintain their telomeres as they divide to replace missing tissues."

8 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Trade off by Culture20 · · Score: 5, Funny

    The trade off? They're highly prone to being a flatworm.

  2. Re:Trade off by EdIII · · Score: 4, Funny

    I hate to get technical, but do worms even have heads?

    Sure. It's the one the shit does not come out of.

  3. Disturbing by Dan+East · · Score: 5, Funny

    I find it disturbing that my tapeworms will outlive me.

    --
    Better known as 318230.
    1. Re:Disturbing by docilespelunker · · Score: 5, Funny

      Remember though, you're drinking and smoking for 2. And where drink's concerned, the little fella's basically swimming around in neat rum. (taking the assumption that you are a pirate and mostly drink rum of course)

  4. Re:Trade off by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 4, Funny

    I hate to get technical, but do worms even have heads?

    Sure. It's the one the shit does not come out of.

    And thus they shall never be elected to public office...

    --
    You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
  5. Re:Do they keep their contacts? by c0lo · · Score: 4, Funny

    A flatworm only has, maybe, a few hundred brain cells, but if they get regenerated are they a "copy", or just "new"?

    They are a pirated copy.

    --
    Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
  6. Re:Trade off by turing_m · · Score: 5, Funny

    Flatworms are highly prone in general.

    --
    If I have seen further it is by stealing the Intellectual Property of giants.
  7. Obligatory by tonique · · Score: 1, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our new flatworm genes carrying overlords.