BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Scientists probe anti-ageing gene

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Scientists probe anti-ageing gene:

"Because humans have a very similar version of the gene, the hope is that it will show a way to improve our declining years.
The gene studied in the new research is called Klotho, named after a minor Greek goddess who spins life's thread.
The gene certainly seems to do that. Mice - and people - with defective forms of the gene appear to age prematurely.
Now researchers have shown that by boosting the activity of the gene, they can extend the natural lives of male mice from two to three years.
The effect is not quite so strong in female mice."