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Granted with all these science PR posts, what did the paper actually say? And why don't ppl post the actual DOI/paper link? I mean, at least for CS topics people post the arxiv link as a minimum...
The paper was posted as an alternate [1]
Keywords: In Mice.
The increasing frequency of mouse studies showing reversal of aging symptoms indicates a few things in itself, regardless of whether any single result (like FTL1) holds up in humans:
1. Field Maturation
We’ve moved from “aging is inevitable” → “aging can be slowed” → “specific mechanisms can be reversed in vivo.” That shift means:
- Tools (CRISPR, single-cell omics, proteomics) are now precise enough to pinpoint single culprits.
- Researchers are designing interventions that don’t just extend lifespan, but restore youthful function in cognition, muscle, or immunity.
2. Convergence on a Core Set of Mechanisms
Different labs, different pathways (NAD+, senolytics, plasma dilution, now FTL1), but similar outcomes: old mice regaining youthful traits. This convergence hints aging may not be a diffuse “wear and tear” process, but the result of a relatively small number of upstream regulators.
3. Proof-of-Concept Momentum
Even if each specific intervention fails to translate, the fact that so many are succeeding at all in mice makes it harder to dismiss rejuvenation as fringe. The signal: aging can be manipulated, not just observed.
4. Cultural Shift in Geroscience
Funders, journals, and institutions are increasingly willing to spotlight “reversal” claims, where a decade ago the same results might have been relegated to smaller journals. The fact we’re seeing more of these studies may reflect both real progress and changed editorial appetite.
the trend suggests aging is experimentally tractable and reversible in model organisms. That doesn’t mean translation to humans is imminent, but it reframes aging from “inevitable decline” to “complex but solvable engineering problem.”
This feels like a headline that arrives in my parents' spam folder every two weeks or so for the past two decades.
I feel you. The fact that it cleared Nature’s editorial bar suggests it’s more than a marginal observation. At minimum, the work would have needed rigorous experimental controls, reproducibility across multiple assays, and clear mechanistic insight. “Notability” is high, but skepticism is warranted given the mouse result.
Summarizes paper "Targeting iron-associated protein Ftl1 in the brain of old mice improves age-related cognitive impairment" [1]
Could lowering FTL1 restore synaptic connectivity and memory in old mice represent a master switch in brain aging, or just one of many parallel mechanisms? If FTL1 is sufficient to induce both structural and functional brain aging in mice, what does that imply about the hierarchy of molecular drivers in neurodegeneration
stevenjgarner commented on Dyson Might Just Have Solved Vertical Farming [video] youtube.com/watch?v=G9mLO... · Posted by u/stevenjgarner
It is intriguing to see the rotating rigs that move strawberry plants. A more quantitative comparison to static vertical farm systems in terms of yield, energy efficiency, and plant health would answer a lot of questions. There was only limited discussion of how robotic pollination, pest control, and harvesting might eventually surpass human labor in both cost and quality - I'm guessing Dyson's intentions here are proprietary given their scale of investment. I do wonder how scalable Dyson’s automation approach might be for a wider variety of crops, or are strawberries in some way uniquely suited (not just because of the crop price point)?
Could measuring activity in these “neural compass” regions become a reliable early biomarker for detecting diseases like Alzheimer’s that impair spatial orientation?