Word: lifespan
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...order to reach so precise a finding, the study's authors had to do some exhaustive number-crunching, surveying pollution rates and longevity in 51 cities across the U.S. over a 21-year period from 1979 to 2000. Overall, they found that lifespan in all of the areas increased by an average of nearly three years - from 74 to 77 - as a result of a host of factors, most notably reduced smoking and improved income. But 15% of the change was attributable to cleaner...
...then again, there aren't a lot of things like NASA's Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers, the robotic ships that landed on the Red Planet five years ago this month with an expected lifespan of 90 days and yet have chugged along ever since - surviving paralyzing cold, blinding dust and long periods without sun, all of which occasionally left them silent and still, but only until conditions improved and they shook off the dust, stirred to life and puttered off to do more work. So far, Spirit and Opportunity have beamed home a quarter of a million images...
...bigger siblings, Sojourner came with only a very brief factory warranty - just 30 days in its case - and like its bigger siblings, easily exceeded it, operating for five months before finally surrendering to the Martian elements. It's rarely a good idea to take NASA's estimates of the lifespan of its ships too literally. The agency tends to lowball these calls, making it more likely that the machines will perform better than advertised - and, not incidentally, that taxpayers will feel as though they're getting their money's worth. Still, when flight controllers on the Spirit and Opportunity teams...
...protein that regulates gene expression and fixes damaged cells is increased, genes may be less likely to deteriorate, according to the study. Cells that remain in better condition for longer age more slowly, theoretically allowing organisms to remain younger longer. “People may have an extended lifespan,” said Raul Mostoslavsky, a researcher at Harvard-affiliated Mass. General Hospital who worked on the study. The protein, produced by a longevity gene called SIRT1, is known to perform two main jobs in yeast cells, according to Philipp Oberdoerffer, a pathologist at Harvard Medical School and the study?...
...through the mail was a thrill? These days Americans get an average of 18 pieces of junk mail for every personal letter. From catalogs to credit-card solicitations, our mailboxes are increasingly clogged with clutter. Dealing with unwanted mail not only wastes our time (eight months over the average lifespan) but also bears environmental costs. Paper spam eats up an estimated 100 million trees each year, with 44% of junk mail ending up--unopened--in landfills...