Scientists Reverse the Aging Process

Scientists at Harvard have reversed the aging process in mice.

When cells divide, a cap on the chromosomes, called the telomere, gets shorter. When they

get too short, the cell dies. Scientists believe this has a lot to do with aging. In this lab, they bred mice without the enzyme that stops the telomeres from getting shorter. These mice aged prematurely, but were then injected with the enzyme (telmerase). After the injection, damaged tissues were repaired, and neurons began growing in their brains. This does not directly relate to humans, because we do not use telomerase throughout our whole lives, but it is definitely a step forward, especially in growing new tissues and organs.

I found this interesting because aging is subject that we know so little about, and this experiment shows that we may be able to help those with diseases that now have no cure.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/nov/28/scientists-reverse-ageing-mice-humans