Cooler mice live longer

Genetically reducing the core body temperature of mice by a half-degree Celsius helped them live 15 percent longer, a finding that could shed light on how calorie restriction helps prolong life, researchers report in Science."Calorie restriction was already known to be associated with reduction of core body temperature in rodents and in primates," co-author Bruno Conti, from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, told The Scientist. "What was not known was if the reduction was simply a consequence of calorie restriction or if it also contributed to its beneficial effects. Our studies demonstrate that the latter may be true."Past research showed lowering core body temperature slowed aging and prolonged life in poikilotherms such as fish. Whether this was also true for homeotherms had not been demonstrated.Conti and his colleagues engineered mice that had an overheated hypothalamus. The preoptic area of the hypothalamus serves as...