Is Aging Inevitable? Not Necessarily for Sea Urchins: Study Shows That Sea Urchins Defy Aging, Regardless of Lifespan
Sea urchins are remarkable organisms. They can quickly regrow damaged spines and feet. Some species also live to extraordinary old ages and — even more remarkably — do so with no signs of poor health, such as a decline in regenerative capacity or an increase in age-related mortality. These ocean Methuselahs even reproduce as if…
Continue ReadingVideo Released in Observance of National Parkinson’s Awareness Week
In celebration of Parkinson’s Awareness last month, we launched a video celebrating two unique champions for research: Michael Westphal, a former competitive runner who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 49, and Aric Rogers, Ph.D., a scientist at the MDI Biological Laboratory who was motivated to study neurodegenerative diseases by a family history of Huntington’s…
Continue ReadingScientists at the MDI Biological Laboratory Are Unlocking the Mechanisms of Parkinson’s Disease
Scientists at the MDI Biological Laboratory are identifying the basic mechanisms behind Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative neurological disease affecting millions of people worldwide. The research could some day lead to treatments for a disabling condition for which medicine now has nothing to offer other than symptomatic relief. Parkinson’s is a progressive disorder of the nervous…
Continue ReadingSignature Course on the Biology of Aging to be Introduced at the MDI Biological Laboratory
Why do we age? What are the mechanisms that regulate aging on a cellular level? Is it possible to extend youthfulness through genetic manipulation? These are some of the tantalizing questions that will be the subject of a new signature course at the MDI Biological Laboratory addressing two of the most fundamental issues related to…
Continue ReadingHow Does Chronic Stress Early in Life Contribute to Aging?
MDI Biological Laboratory associate professor James A. Coffman, Ph.D., delivered a summary of research being conducted in his laboratory on the effect of stress on health at a recent Work-in-Progress presentation.
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