As scientific breakthroughs and healthier lifestyles push life expectancy rates upward, centenarians are becoming more the rule than the exception.
In fact, the Office of National Statistics predicts that approximately one out of every three babies born today will live to be 100. Meanwhile, academic institutions and biotechnology companies continue to research ways to delay the aging process even further.
For example, biologists at the University of California, Los Angeles, recently announced that they have identified a gene, called AMPK, that they believe can slow the aging process throughout the entire body when activated remotely in key organ systems. When the scientists tested the theory on fruit flies, the insects’ lifespan increased by about 30%, and they stayed healthier longer.
