Researchers have found that chemical signals released by mitochondria are communicating to those in other cells. This has an impact on how rapidly organisms age.
Discovery of Mitochondria Communication
In 1993 a discovery upended the idea that aging is due to various breakdowns and failures. Scientists found a mutation in a single gene that doubled a worm’s life span. Later work revealed that genes related to insulin regulation are the vital controllers of aging in many animals, from invertebrates to humans. This suggested that aging is not a random process after all. Instead, there are specific genes that regulate aging. This paved the way for further study into how aging works at a molecular level.
