Researchers have discovered a process in which death spreads throughout living creatures, including humans, and are working on ways to slow it down. The death wave, or death fluorescence, has been observed as a glowing blue color within worms, spreading predictably from cell to cell until the entire creature is dead. The source of the blue hue is a compound called anthranilic acid. “It’s like a blue grim reaper, tracking death as it spreads throughout the organism until all life is extinguished,” said study co-author David Gems, from University College London’s Healthy Aging Institute. While the study focused on worms because they are the smallest and most simple forms of animals, the biological process of cellular death observed in them is believed to be similar to that in humans. Gems says the discovery could lead to new medications or techniques that could eventually slow the aging process and postpone death. That would also result in the elimination or delay of most age-related diseases, the researchers conclude in an article published in the journal PLOS Biology.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Aug 2013 15:43:06 +0000
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