X-Message-Number: 11833 Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 19:09:17 -0400 From: Jan Coetzee <> Subject: accelerate aging Finally an explanation that might help understand why animals have different life spans. Who's the boss? According to a common view of animal evolution, bodies have evolved to propagate sperm and eggs from one generation to the next. Scientists assumed this meant that genes had evolved to maximize reproductive success in the full-grown animal. However, it looks like the gonads influence the life span of the animal directly. When researchers destroyed germ cells in worms, the animals lived 60% longer than normal. That means that germ cells send out signals that accelerate aging. Reference: Hsin, H. and Kenyon, C. 1999. Signals from the reproductive system regulate the lifespan of C. elegans. Nature 399(6734):362-366. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=11833