Flatworms Defy Aging Through Cell Division Tricks

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers from The University of Nottingham have demonstrated how a species of flatworm overcomes the aging process to be potentially immortal. The discovery, published (abstract; full text PDF) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is part of a project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Medical Research Council and may shed light on the possibilities of alleviating aging and age-related characteristics in human cells." After finding the gene for telomerase synthesis in the worms, the researchers were able to observe that the worms "...dramatically increase the activity of this gene when they regenerate, allowing stem cells to maintain their telomeres as they divide to replace missing tissues."

Re:Trade off

[Culture20]

The trade off? They're highly prone to being a flatworm.

Re:Trade off

[EdIII]

I hate to get technical, but do worms even have heads?

Sure. It's the one the shit does not come out of.

Disturbing

[Dan East]

I find it disturbing that my tapeworms will outlive me.

Re:Trade off

[FatdogHaiku]

I hate to get technical, but do worms even have heads?

Sure. It's the one the shit does not come out of.

And thus they shall never be elected to public office...

Re:Disturbing

[docilespelunker]

Remember though, you're drinking and smoking for 2. And where drink's concerned, the little fella's basically swimming around in neat rum. (taking the assumption that you are a pirate and mostly drink rum of course)

Re:Do they keep their contacts?

[c0lo]

A flatworm only has, maybe, a few hundred brain cells, but if they get regenerated are they a "copy", or just "new"?

They are a pirated copy.

Re:Trade off

[turing_m]

Flatworms are highly prone in general.

Obligatory

[tonique]

I, for one, welcome our new flatworm genes carrying overlords.