Researchers find clues to living longer, healthier lives
Posted: July 03, 2012  Researchers seeking to unravel the
mysteries of aging have yet to find the legendary fountain of
youth, but they have found intriguing clues to living longer,
healthier lives.  The findings suggest that with a little
molecular tinkering, the age of 60 may someday be the new 30,
giving baby boomers a way to defy the aging process and prolong
the age of Aquarius.  "The idea that lifespan is plastic and can
be changed is a huge paradigm shift," said Cynthia Kenyon, an
expert in aging at the University of California San Francisco.
"Someday people may be able to take a drug that makes them
naturally more resilient to disease and able to live longer."
The new research is converging on one genetic pathway, the
somatotropic axis, which generally enables animals to grow and
reproduce.  About 15 years ago, Kenyon and others discovered
simple gene mutations in that pathway that doubled the life
spans of worms, and even made them look and a