Science & Technology at Scientific American.com: Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity Genes -- [ BIOTECHNOLOGY ] -- A handful of genes that control the

Science & Technology at Scientific American.com: Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity Genes -- [ BIOTECHNOLOGY ] -- A handful of genes that control the body's defenses during hard times can also dramatically improve health and prolong life in diverse organisms. Understanding how they work may reveal the keys to extending human life span while banishing diseases of old age: "You can assume quite a bit about the state of a used car just from its mileage and model year. The wear and tear of heavy driving and the passage of time will have taken an inevitable toll. The same appears to be true of aging in people, but the analogy is flawed because of a crucial difference between inanimate machines and living creatures: deterioration is not inexorable in biological systems, which can respond to their environments and use their own energy to defend and repair themselves.