Saige's Journal: Submitted Story - Turning Back The Biological Clock?

You know the drill... submitted to Slashdot... blah blah... if it is accepted I'll remove it from here... blah blah... enjoy.

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A researcher at Michigan State University is claiming that they have been able to alter the gene expression in skin cell tissue, and make old skin cells act like young cells. While it has only been done in lab conditions, the possibility of being able to make cells act much younger in living people could alter the way we think about aging - and could even 'cure' it.

cure?

[turg]

Even completely stopping the aging of skin is a long way from curing aging. I've never heard of anyone dying from old skin.

Re:cure?

[loucura!]

If they can stop aging skin cells, presumably the same genes would be responsible for aging in other cells. So, hypothetically, they could reverse aging completely... well except for neurons.

Re:cure?

[turg]

Even then, I'm not sure that preventing each individual cell from aging will actually prevent the system as a whole from breaking down.