Curious as to why out of 50+ genetic loci identified in the studies, only a few are repeatedly seen. Are the others false positives? Are the studies all looking at genetically homogeneous groups? Are these other loci benefiting certain environments/diets/lifestyles?
@@lennihe Good questions, some may unique to population studied (& may interact with their environmental factors). Also some studies dont look at the whole genome and have sequence information for only some regions
They know diet is considerable for longevity vs genes alone. They know this through the study of twins. (One eats healthy. The other one didn't.) Genetically both twins are the same but one is living healthier or longer than the other.
It's a semantic question if it's a gene "for" longevity. I'd say that, if a mutation results in increased longevity, then it's a gene variant "for" longevity, as much as it's a variant "for" anything else. That is, I'd define the function of a gene as whatever it happens to do. You could argue what it evolved for is what it's for, but we rarely know that and it's original function has often been changed over time.
Can gene researchers use a different hallmark of aging other then diseases, for example, the onset of puberty? The transition of a animal from child to adulthood is biological AGING. What are the genes that determines the appropriate age to develop puberty? Are we be able to reverse puberty genetically?
@@Earwaxfire909 I like your point. But I wonder if there is a difference between natural, genetic onset and development of puberty, for example there are people which grow in height faster, and the bad nutrition, as in eating a lot af chicken fed wrongly, and exposure to artificial lighting induce puberty. I believe the second case to be much more detrimental (and this one is not genetic).
@@cipriantodoran1674 Good ideas. It might be possible to study this by noting the age of puberty in a variety of animals and their corresponding life spans. And then testing some animals to see how steroids impact these. Would be interesting to see if C. elegans could be a useful model divided into puberty/age classes this way. For humans it would require monitoring age related factors over a long time span. Might be possible to do statistical analysis of a huge population in a shorter time span. There is your next PhD!
@@Earwaxfire909 Thanks! Omnivorous mammals should make more accurate models, such as rats, since you can feed them more similar diets as human diets and also determine when they reach sexual maturity. Then correlate the data from the wrongly reared rats with the control group, and human data (both historical and present), thus obtaining some predictions regarding how much is genetics when it comes to human health (or life) span. I hope to finish soon my current PhD, so this subject should be someone's else thesis.
There is a significant correlation between intelligence and longevity in modern humans, even after adjusting for income levels. But, then, intelligence is positively correlated with almost all known heritable traits--except autism and myopia.
I wonder why and how exactly. Smart people aren't necessarily good at handling their lives. They can have depression, underachievement, obsesity, even substance problems and loneliness. Obviously they might make some better decisons eg on health and nutrition and lifestyle choices too. I also wonder, perhaps a smart person can relax and focus the mind in a meditative type of way. That would allow the brain to reset various processes - hormone levels, aspects of the immune system etc. Did you find anything on your reading?
There must be some genetic regulator of lifespan, as we live longer than chimpanzees, they live longer than dogs,etc. What genes set maximum lifespan in mammals.🤨
I remember a study showing that African-Americans with high-risk APOE genes had significant life expectancy loss, but that Africans in Africa did not show any such loss. Their diets are very different. It could also be other factors.
Human longevity is quickly shorten by suicide or homicide. The lifespan of different types of a cell will vary depending on it type. blood cell lifespan is different from the stomach lining cell lifespan and the lifespan of brain cell. ... the lifespan on a cellular level may vary on the environment factors. Overall, one can boost general lifespan of cell by slowing down the metabolism and promoting autophagy to get rid of dying cells.
