The Methuselah Gene, Examined

The methuselah gene in fruit flies, which when expressed gives rise to the methuselah cell receptor (or mth), has been known for a decade now. It is one of a small number of single gene manipulations which can meaningfully extend longevity in this species - by 35% in this case. When it comes to figuring out what's going on under the hood, even single gene manipulations in small creatures are terribly, enormously complex. This is one of the many truths that leads those researchers who focus on genetic and metabolic engineering to say that any significant extension of human life span through these methods is far in the future. It's a huge, huge undertaking, from our present position, to consider engineering any form of significant change to the way in which our metabolism works. (Which is why I support far less complex and more certain approaches aimed at repairing the metabolism we have. The mountain of metabolic complexity is there, climb it if you must, but to get to the valley of enhanced longevity on the other side in good time, then use the level road of damage repair strategies that winds around the mountain's base). You should take a...