Biosingularity

Genes that result in a slender figure have been linked to heart disease and type-two diabetes, conditions normally associated with being overweight.A study suggests variants of the IRS1 gene reduce fat under the skin, but not the more dangerous visceral fat around organs such as the heart and liver.The Medical Research Council study, published in Nature Genetics, examined the genes of more than 76,000 people.The link between the genetic variants and the conditions was stronger in men.

via BBC News – Lean gene linked to heart risk.

The drug rapamycin has been found to reverse the effects of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, a fatal genetic disease that resembles rapid aging, in cells taken from patients with the disease. Rapamycin, an immunosuppressant drug used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs, has already been shown to extend life span in healthy mice. Researchers hope the findings will provide new insight into treating progeria as well as other age-related diseases.

via Drug Reverses Accelerated Aging in Human Cells – Technology Review.