News
Universal epigenetic clocks provide insights into why mammals are ‘born to die’
8 August 2023
Benjamin Franklin famously stated ‘in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes’. But why are we ‘born to die’ and what mechanisms underpin the gradual decline in biological functions (senescence) in living organisms, and ultimately their death? We are at an exciting point in ageing research: a Universal Mammalian Clock Chip has been developed using data on DNA methylation (DNAm) from a wide range of mammals and tissue types to predict the chronological age of any mammal species accurately from a single equation, also showing how DNAm changes in predictable ways over an animal’s life. Two new papers1,2 provide remarkable insights into ageing. The findings reveal great potential for estimating a mammal’s chronological age when it is not known, for understanding why some individuals age faster than expected for their chronological age, and for understanding factors affecting the large variation in the lifespans of different mammal species.
- Universal epigenetic clocks provide insights into why mammals are ‘born to die’ 8 August 2023 Benjamin Franklin famously stated ‘in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes’. But why are we ‘born to die’ and what mechanisms underpin the gradual decline in biological functions (senescence) in living organisms, and ultimately their death? We are at an exciting point in ageing research: a Universal Mammalian Clock Chip has been developed using data on DNA methylation (DNAm) from a wide range of mammals and tissue types to predict the chronological age of any mammal species accurately from a single equation, also showing how DNAm changes in predictable ways over an animal’s life. Two new papers1,2 provide remarkable insights into ageing. The findings reveal great potential for estimating a mammal’s chronological age when it is not known, for understanding why some individuals age faster than expected for their chronological age, and for understanding factors affecting the large variation in the lifespans of different mammal species.
- Static electricity attracts ticks to hosts, scientists find 27 July 2023 Ticks can be attracted across air gaps several times larger than themselves by the static electricity that their hosts naturally accumulate, researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered.
- Warmer and murkier waters favour predators of guppies, study finds 27 July 2023 Changes in water conditions interact to affect how Trinidadian guppies protect themselves from predators, scientists at the University of Bristol have discovered.
- Butterfly species’ big brains adapted giving them a survival edge, study finds 27 July 2023 Heliconius butterflies’ brains grew as they adopted a novel foraging behaviour, scientists at the University of Bristol have found.
- Bats struggle during organic farming transition 27 July 2023 Bat activity falls as farms make the transition to organic agriculture, new research shows.
- Leading ecologist from the University of Bristol elected as Royal Society Fellow 12 May 2023 A University of Bristol academic who has provided insight into how networks of interactions between species impact the environment has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.
- Animals best to supress individual personalities for group efficiency 5 May 2023 Social animals should limit individuality to conform with the behaviour of the group, a University of Bristol study has found.
- Mysterious underwater acoustic world of British ponds revealed in new study 25 April 2023 The previously hidden and diverse underwater acoustic world in British ponds has been revealed by a team of researchers at the University of Bristol.
- Researchers discover significant deep-sea coral reefs in Galápagos expedition 24 April 2023 Scientists from the University of Bristol are part of an expedition which has made a ground-breaking discovery of extensive, ancient deep-sea coral reefs within the Galápagos Marine Reserve (GMR).
- The diverse swimming techniques of the ancient reptiles that ruled the Mesozoic seas have been revealed for the first time by scientists at the University of Bristol. 18 April 2023 The diverse swimming techniques of the ancient reptiles that ruled the Mesozoic seas have been revealed for the first time by scientists at the University of Bristol.
