The existence of families in which a number of members live for an exceptionally long time suggests there is a strong genetic component to longevity, but so far the genes that control the aging process have not been identified. In August 28
Puca et al. performed a genome-wide scan for loci predisposing for exceptional longevity on 308 persons with a minimum age of 98 years. They found significant evidence for linkage on a region of chromosome 4, strongly suggest the presence of a gene — or genes — on this chromosome that exerts a substantial influence on the life span an ...