Researchers at the University of Michigan (United States of America), who have concentrated on the study of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, have identified a rather interesting biological mechanism, which they called the "aging axis". This mechanism is formed by the nervous system and intestines of the worm, which react to cold.
It turned out that in the intestines of the worm there is a genetic sequence that regulates life span. And this gene is controlled by signals about temperature, which are sent to the intestine by the nervous system, or rather, by special heat-sensitive cells.
According to the material that appeared on the pages of Genes & Development, analogs of the "aging axis" should be in all mammals, that is, including humans.
In general, the key to eternal youth, as expected, may be cold. It remains only to understand how exactly it is necessary to use this key in order to really increase the life expectancy of people - conclude scientists trying to understand the intestines of roundworms. “We cannot yet find an aging axis in humans, but we think there is one,” the researchers conclude.
Kolesnikov Andrey