Flatworms Defy Aging Through Cell Division Tricks

Posted by Unknown on Monday February 27, 2012 @05:06PM 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."

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Trade off by funtapaz · 2012-02-27 17:09 · Score: 2, Interesting

I wonder what they sacrifice for this? I'm guessing they are highly prone to cancer or something. I'm nature I doubt they live long enough for problems like that to manifest.
1. Re:Trade off by Zorpheus · 2012-02-27 23:54 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Very interesting. I am wondering now how Humans survive for more than 50 generations, since gametes are also fomred by cell division.