Looking at DNA in a tissue sample is now all you need to accurately work out the age of almost any mammal, and this reveals something fundamental about ageing.
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| DNA “ageing clocks” found in mammals hint that ageing is due to errors in our bodies’ developmental programs cooperr/Shutterstock |
The age of almost any mammal can now be accurately estimated from a tissue sample by analysing chemical tags added to DNA. The finding comes from a study of nearly 200 species and could overturn our understanding of ageing.
The team involved says the fact that all mammals seem to have the same “ageing clocks” shows that ageing is the result of developmental programs that have been retained during the evolution of mammals.
Read original reasearch work here.
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