I just read a short, interesting piece at the Telegraph about an increasing population of jellyfish that can apparently reverse their aging. I’m not entirely sure how this is possible and will be reading through published papers to see if I can figure it out.
From what I gather from the mainstream article, the cells dedifferentiate. Perhaps some of the pathways used are still present in humans? This species most likely has modified pathways that wouldn’t be the same in humans, and if they are unused in us chances are they are no longer in tact due to no selection pressure to maintain them. It could give some interesting clues about which areas to focus on for human aging research. Perhaps once day we will also be able to grow “younger” instead of just older. I’m sure Malthus would not be pleased…