Lifespan predicted by DNA test - in zebra finches

Analysis of person's DNA when they are still young could provide important clues about how long they will live, if a study on zebra finches is anything to go by. Research shows that the best indicator of the birds' longevity is the length of a section of genetic code at the end of their chromosomes, called the telomere...[Read More]

New embryo test to improve IVF success rate

Researchers at Oxford University have developed a test that may help to improve IVF success rates by checking the health of embryos. The team, led by Dr Dagan Wells, has apparently developed a test which checks embryos during IVF for abnormal numbers of chromosomes...[Read More]

DNA test links ageing and income

The rate at which we age depends on socio-economic status and can be revealed by a DNA test, which will improve assessment of public health measures, say Glaswegian scientists....[Read More]

How long will you live? Nobel winner claims new test can help

Scientists claim they have developed a blood test that can predict how fast a person is ageing. The test, developed in Spain, is set to be available in the UK soon....[Read More]

Genetic variant may influence biological ageing

Scientists have identified a genetic variant that may influence the rate at which a person will age. The finding, published in last week's edition of the journal Nature Genetics, could help identify which individuals are most susceptible to common age-related conditions, such as heart disease and Alzheimer's disease....[Read More]

Shortened telomeres linked to increased heart disease risk

New research published in the Lancet medical journal last week shows a potential new way to identify people who have a higher risk of heart disease. Telomeres are the strands of DNA that cap and protect our chromosomes. They act as a kind of cellular clock...[Read More]

Smoking and obesity linked to ageing genetic material

Obesity and smoking can result in changes to genetic material indicative of cellular aging, according to a new UK study. The research, carried out at St Thomas' Hospital in London, shows that women who are obese, or who are heavy smokers have shorter telomeres - protective caps on the ends of...[Read More]

Cancer concern over stem cells

Stem cells can turn cancerous if they are grown for too long in the laboratory, two new studies show. A report in New Scientist highlights two articles which show that adult stem cells can become immortal, a key feature of cancer cells. The scientists stress that current trials using injections...[Read More]

Stress linked to aging cells

Stress can speed up the aging process, according to a new US study. Scientists based at the University of California have found that cells taken from women who experience high levels of stress appear years older than their actual biological age. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National...[Read More]

Second generation 'recloned' bull doing well

A bull cloned from the clone of a prize-winning animal four years ago is healthy and fertile, Japanese researchers announced last week. The second generation clone was created using a skin cell, taken from a first generation clone when the animal was only four months old. The research, published in...[Read More]

Chromosome length may predict IVF success

The likelihood of IVF success could be down to the length of a woman's telomeres - the segments of DNA that make up the ends of chromosomes - reports Nature magazine. US scientists, based at the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, have shown that women whose eggs have shorter chromosome tips...[Read More]

Dolly dies young

Dolly the cloned sheep is no more. The Roslin Institute announced last week that she had been put down after a veterinary examination showed that she had a progressive lung disease. Her final resting place will be in Edinburgh - her body is to be preserved for the National Museum of...[Read More]

Chromosome clue to longer life

The length of your life could be related to the length of your telomeres - the segments of DNA that make up the ends of chromosomes. A new study suggests that people with shorter telomeres may die earlier than those with longer telomeres, either from an infectious disease or a heart...[Read More]

No premature ageing in clones of clones

A team of researchers based at the University of Hawaii has shown that the ageing process is not accelerated in successive generations of cloned mice. Earlier studies carried out on Dolly the sheep indicated that cloned animals might age prematurely. But the US scientists, who published their results in last...[Read More]

Cloned cows young for their age

Six cloned calves have cells that appear younger than their biological age, a US biotech firm reported in the current issue of Science. A team working at Advanced Cell Technologies (ACT) found that cells taken from the cows and grown in the laboratory have a lifespan increased by around 50...[Read More]

Japanese create second-generation cow clone

A 96-pound bull calf born in Japan last weekend is the first large mammal to be 're-cloned'. The calf has been successfully cloned from the clone of a bull. Scientists in America had previously only produced second-generation clones in mice. The Japanese scientists at the Kagoshima Prefectural Cattle Breeding...[Read More]

Dolly may be older than her years

Dolly the cloned sheep could be genetically older than her years, according to follow-up research carried out by the Roslin Institute and its commercial arm PPL Therapeutics, where Dolly-style cloning was developed. Dolly may look like a three year old ewe, but the tips of her chromosomes - called telomeres - show...[Read More]