Philippe Matthews Show Guru Advice, Author Reviews, Tech Reviews, Entertainment News

By Declan Butler and Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine The U.S.

By Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine At last, a member of the celebrated sirtuin family of proteins has been shown to extend lifespan in mammals -- although it's not the one that has received the most attention and financial investment. Sirtuin genes and the proteins they encode have intrigued many researchers who study ageing ever since they were first linked to longevity in yeast.

By Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine Three common chemotherapy drugs cause DNA mutations not only in mice that receive treatment, but also in their offspring, according to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA . The results suggest that the genome in treated mice became destabilized yielding new mutations long after exposure to the drugs has ceased. [More]

By Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine Protective caps known as telomeres that help to preserve the integrity of chromosomes can also predict lifespan in young zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ), researchers have found. Telomeres are stretches of repetitive DNA sequence that are found at the ends of chromosomes, where they help to maintain cell viability by preventing the fraying of DNA and the fusion of one chromosome to another

By Heidi Ledford of Nature of magazine With sales of more than $100 billion since it was introduced in 1997, the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor (atorvastatin) is an unparalleled pharmaceutical superstar.

By Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine It would not be the first psychiatric drug to run aground in a large study after sailing through early trials. [More]

By Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine A computer program has been trained to grade breast cancer, predicting which tumours are associated with worse outcomes and, therefore, deserve more aggressive treatment.

By Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine The perennial grass Miscanthus

By Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine The perennial grass Miscanthus

By Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine Two weeks after receiving an experimental treatment for his cancer, David Porter's 65-year-old leukemia patient seemed to take a turn for the worse. [More]

By Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine A prominent paper that claimed to reveal the genetic factors that help people live to 100 or older has been retracted, a year after it was first released. The study, published in Science , reported 150 genetic variations that could be used to predict whether a person was genetically inclined to see their 100th birthday

By Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine Early next year, a drug for cystic fibrosis is expected to come before the US Food and Drug Administration for approval. [More]

By Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine When the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced this month that it did not have the authority to oversee a new variety of genetically modified (GM) Kentucky bluegrass, it exposed a serious weakness in the regulations governing GM crops. [More]

By Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine When stem-cell clinics are asked for documentation about the treatments they offer, some are quick to produce letters from lawyers instead. [More]

By Heidi Ledford of Nature magazine When pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced on June 8 that it is teaming up with eight research institutions in the Boston area to hunt for candidate drugs, the news was cheered from all sides. [More]