About evolution (Feb. 27, 2012).

Protein Identified That Can Lengthen Our Life?

ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2012) — Cells use various methods to break down and recycle worn-out components -- autophagy is one of them. In the dissertation she will be defending at Umeå University in Sweden, Karin Håberg shows that the protein SNX18 is necessary for cells to be able to perform autophagy.

In animal experiments on both simple organisms like fruit flies and in more complex animals like mice, researchers have seen that stimulating autophagy leads to increased longevity. It is still unclear whether these results are directly translatable to humans. However, there are theories that calorie restriction, which is a relatively well-established way of increasing longevity, induces higher levels of autophagy, which would help delay aging. Cells metabolize their old proteins and cell organelles by ... (more at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120227111202.htm )

Immortal Worms Defy Aging

ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2012) — Researchers from The University of Nottingham have demonstrated how a species of flatworm overcomes the aging process to be potentially immortal.

The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is part of a project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC) and may shed light on the possibilities of alleviating aging and age-related characteristics in human cells. Planarian worms have amazed scientists with their apparently limitless ability to regenerate. Researchers have been studying their ability to replace aged or damaged tissues and cells in a bid to understand the mechanisms underlying their longevity.

Dr Aziz Aboobaker from... ( more at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120227152612.htm )

Glow and be eaten – marine bacteria use light to lure plankton and fish

domingo, 26 de fevereiro de 2012 Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Jerusalem, February 27, 2012 – Not all that glitters is gold. Sometimes it is just bacteria trying to get ahead in life.

Many sea creatures glow with a biologically produced light. This phenomenon, known as bioluminescence, is observed, among others, in some marine bacteria which emit a steady light once they have reached a certain level of concentration (a phenomenon called "quorum sensing") on organic particles in ocean waters.

Though this was a known occurrence, the benefits of producing light remained unclear.

Now, in an article published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS), researchers... ( more at http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=117844&CultureCode=en )