Stem cells and the rate of living.
The "rate-of-living theory" is an ancient explanation of longevity which holds that aging occurs due to the exhaustion of some finite substance-breaths, heartbeats, etc. While this theory as originally conceived has been debunked, new work (Ruzankina et al. [2007], in this issue of Cell Stem Cell) suggests that mammals in fact do have a finite number of stem cell replications per life.
Krishnamurthy
Janakiraman
J
Departments of Medicine and Genetics, The Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Sharpless
Norman E
NE
Departments of Medicine and Genetics, The Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Electronic address: nes@med.unc.edu.
D002455:Cell Division; D016922:Cellular Senescence; D006801:Humans; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*