In the following clip from TO AGE OR NOT TO AGE, Dr. Steven Austad (the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, San Antonio) makes the connection between Shakespeare, an Icelandic quahog clam and the title of our film.
Dr. Austad’s lab examines the great mystery of why some species live shorter lives while others live much longer, for example, a mouse gets old and dies in about two years, while a bat, which is essentially a mouse with wings, lives for about fifty years.
Identifying the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms that account for key differences in similar species, may enable us to back into the answer to health and longevity.
This is another approach to developing and identifying therapies that will allow human beings to live longer, healthier lives.
