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“SENESCENCE, as a time-dependent developmental process, affects all organisms at every stage in their development and growth. During this process, genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors are known to introduce a wide range of variation for longevity among individuals.” https://lnkd.in/dT5Aavw View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this snippet into the complicated reproductive strategies of plants. Plants evolved from aquatic single celled algae, and transitioned onto dry land, where sperm needed protection against drying during dispersal, and thus pollen was born. Dry land was also a harsher environment, so a quiescent protected stage in the life cycle was born. And even within plants as a group, enormous reproductive variation is seen. View in LinkedIn

VASCULAR PLANTS. “Bryophytes have gametophyte-dominated life cycles; seedless vascular plants have sporophyte-dominated life cycles; seed plants have very protected gametophytes that obtain their nutrition from their parents, and are even more reduced than seedless vascular plants; whereas gametophytes from seedless vascular plants are free living and have to fend for themselves.” https://lnkd.in/dGN5WNg View in LinkedIn

CHANGING EVOLUTION. “Darpa is looking to re-write the laws of evolution to the military’s advantage, creating “synthetic organisms” that can live forever — or can be killed with the flick of a molecular switch. As part of its budget for the next year, Darpa is investing $6 million into a project called BioDesign, with the goal of eliminating “the randomness of natural evolutionary advancement.” https://lnkd.in/dr8DZSH View in LinkedIn

CONSERVED CANDIDATE GENES. “A comparative genomics approach found longevity genes conserved between yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We hypothesised that these longevity genes influence variance in cognitive ability and age-related cognitive decline in humans.” https://lnkd.in/eswdkPD View in LinkedIn

DARPA SEEKS CELLULAR CLOCK MECHANISM. "It could also make it possible to put astronauts into hibernation before firing them at Mars or other planets, or even - perhaps - to offer hugely extended human lifespan: Additionally, a greater understanding of molecular oscillators and the evolution of biological clocks will lead to fundamental advancements in developmental science, drug development, aging, and cell death." http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/07/19/darpa_sleep_research/ View in LinkedIn

DARPA SEEKS LIFE EXTENSION. "The "Biochronicity" programme will find a way to understand and predict "temporal features of biological systems". After two years, DARPA hopes to move to Phase II, which aims to conduct Live Fire Tests. Should the research prove practicable, it could be used to put injured soldiers into effective suspended animation." https://lnkd.in/dsbyDDh View in LinkedIn

CAPITAL FUEL. “Human Longevity, Inc. raised more than $220 million. It has previously raised $80 million in its Series A offering which closed in Summer 2014. (2015). https://lnkd.in/dKgF-_9 View in LinkedIn

VENTURE-BACKED EFFORT. “In his latest effort, Venter and backers announced the $70 million start of Human Longevity Inc. (HLI), a partnership with the University of California, San Diego, and other scientific organizations. "HLI is going to change the way medicine is practiced by helping to shift to a more preventive, genomic-based medicine model which we believe will lower healthcare costs. Our goal is not necessarily lengthening life, but extending a healthier, high performing, more productive life span. This is Celera on steroids and cocaine." Co-founders include Craig Venter, Ph.D., Robert Hariri, M.D., Ph.D., and Peter H. Diamandis, M.D. https://lnkd.in/dkR6ua5 View in LinkedIn

ANOTHER ANTI-AGING STRATEGY. "By tricking the cell into thinking it’s young again, with adequate amounts of NAD, aging can theoretically be reversed. “When we give the molecule, the cells think oxygen levels are normal and everything revs back up again." During aging, NAD drops 50%. http://healthland.time.com/2013/12/19/reversing-aging-not-as-crazy-as-you-think/ View in LinkedIn