14 August 2016 - Until the mid-nineties it was not thought that the process of ageing was subject to any general control.

It was thought likely to involve hundreds if not thousands of genes and would also be influenced by many environmental factors. That view has now started to change. One reason is the discovery that calorie-restricted diets can extend healthy life in a range of animals. Another key finding was made in 1993, when work by Cynthia Kenyon on roundworms showed that altering a single gene, daf-2, could double their lifespan, slow their ageing and allow them to live longer lives as vigorous, young, worms.

Read The Economist article