Source: Brown University
Date: April 23, 2008
Summary:
Brown University biologists have found that eliminating germline stem cells, the cells that make eggs and sperm, lengthens the life of fruit flies and alters the insects' insulin production. These findings suggest a provocative general principle at work: Molecular signals from the reproductive system affect aging and metabolism in animals – and possibly in humans. The work also proposes a new mechanism of how this control may occur. Results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
