Genetics Of Aging - iBiology & Youreka Science

An illustrated explanation of Cynthia Kenyon's pioneering research on how mutating the Daf-2 gene doubles the lifespan of C. elegans.

ibiology.org/genetics-and-gene-regulation/genetics-of-aging/ Why do some people age more quickly than others? This video describes pioneering research performed by the biologist Cynthia Kenyon, who hypothesized that genes could control the rate of aging. To figure out which genes regulate aging, scientists in Dr. Kenyon’s lab made mutations in the DNA of a tiny worm called C. elegans and looked to see which mutations caused the worms to live longer, healthier lives. Amazingly, modifying just one gene, called Daf-2, allowed the worms to live twice as long as normal. Daf-2 is a conserved gene found in flies, mice, and humans, so its activity may regulate aging in our species as well. About Youreka Science: Youreka Science was created by Florie Mar, PhD, while she was a cancer researcher at UCSF. While teaching 5th graders about the structure of a cell, Mar realized the importance of incorporating scientific findings into classroom in an easy-to-understand way. From that she started creating whiteboard drawings that explained recent papers in the scientific literature to the general public. Mar has created over thirty videos about the latest scientific experiments and is now joined by Alex Olson to produce more fun and engaging videos. Learn more at yourekascience.org/