Worms that were genetically modified by McGill University researchers not only survived exposure to a banned poison, they lived even longer than normal worms, challenging scientists' understanding of the aging process.
Dr. Siegfried Hekimi and his student Dr. Wen Yang, who are in the Montreal university's biology department, planned to test the so-called “free radical theory of aging” by genetically modifying wild worms in a lab to accelerate production of free radicals — toxic molecules generated as a byproduct of oxygen use.
McGill University researchers studied C. elegans worms, such as these, that were genetically modified with accelerated free radical production...
Although the theory has long been held as conventional wisdom by some, Hekimi said he “stands the theory on its head” by showing in his experiment that increasing free radical production did not necessarily speed up aging...
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http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/12/08/worms-lifespan-aging-free-radicals.html#ixzz18eLJkVXL