Word: spans
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...DIED. PEI PEI, 33, the oldest giant panda in captivity; of organ failure; in Hangzhou, China. Pei Pei more than doubled her species' expected life span of about 15 years. Her death highlights the breeding difficulties of the endangered animals and comes on the heels of China's decision to create a $21.8 million panda-protection zone in the south-western region, where it hopes to stabilize the population...
Indeed, despite what the Swedish and Adventist studies suggest, there's evidence that in some families, at least, genes exert pretty powerful effects on life-span. The centenarians registered in the New England Centenarian Study, for example, showed no consistent patterns in diet, exercise or healthy habits that could explain their extended years. About 20% had smoked at some point in their lives, and some had eating habits that should have made them obese or unhealthy but somehow did not. At least 10% to 15% had a history of heart disease, stroke or diabetes for more than 20 years. Something...
...aging research, identifying a number of genes in roundworms that help stave off disease and extend life. One such gene directs the action of a receptor for insulin and an insulin-like hormone called IGF1, and by manipulating it along with other genes, she can increase the worms' life-span sixfold. "It's not so much that they're just living longer," she says. "What's remarkable about these worms is how healthy they...
...story is more complex: Kenyon has found that hormones in her long-lived worms actually regulate several unusual genes to increase life-span. One set of genes triggers the worms' cells to make antioxidants, which fight off the ravages of molecules called free radicals, which can damage DNA. Another set directs the creation of proteins called chaperones; they help other proteins fold into their proper shapes. They also detect and destroy improperly folded proteins that can cause such aging-related ailments as Huntington's disease. Other genes affect the transport of fat around the body--which may also have...
...calorie-a-day diet--about half what U.S. women typically eat. Diabetes killed both her parents in their 60s, but her diabetes is under control, thanks to her Spartan diet. "If I live to 85 or 90," she says, "I will have extended my life-span, and I'll be real happy with that...