It has been known for some time that non-germline worms live longer than normal worms, specifically up to 25% longer. The funny thing is that although they cannot reproduce, germ-line worms have gonads, and these worms continue to produce all the fat that they normally produce eggs with. In a series of experiments, scientists observed that when worms have more fat than they need, they set in motion a seemingly futile cycle of fat breakdown and resynthesization. “We have observed that this fat breakdown is really beneficial, and that it may not be so useless after all,” they explain.
Theautofagia, a major cellular mechanism for digesting and recycling organic contents, has become the subject of intense scientific scrutiny in recent years, particularly since the process has beenimplicated in many human diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer’s. This study provides a more detailed understanding of the role autophagy and lipid metabolism play in aging.