Seems to me there are probably many genes that you could mess up that would achieve similar effects. Take insulin, for example. If mice had decreased capacity to express insulin, they would appear to age more rapidly as ravages of uncontrolled blood sugar wreaks havoc. With insulin restored, they’d stop their rapid decline (though much of the damage is irreversible).

This study says nothing whatsoever about extending lifespan in anything. It merely describes treating induced telomerase deficiency by supplying necessary levels of telomerase.

I firmly believe that there are people alive today that will live 150 years. I’d like one of those people to be me. Maybe when I’m 150, there might be another extension treatment. Or even the option of ‘life data’ storage, for when I can get a new, younger, body, vat grown to my specification. The ideas are there, and have been for many years. We just need technology to catch up. Unfortunately, in order for technology to really progress, and quickly, we need lots of wars*, otherwise progress tends to stagnate.

* We have made some of our most significant scientific breakthroughs that have peacetime applications as a result of the arms race.

@Jeffery: I imagine simple logistics. They wanted to see what happened when normal levels were restored first. Now on to all the various permutations and other tests. Science never sleeps!

@Durr Hurr: Now, reggie didn’t identify himself as a voluntary human extinction type fellow, but the snark was warranted. I’ll allow it!

Reputable scientists pooh-pooh the magical, miracle lobster anti-aging remedies! What are they hiding*?!

* Lobster therapy may exhibit side effects such as sweating, convulsions, diarrea, constipation, premature aging, reverse aging, insomnia, excessive sleeping, reddened skin, thickened fingernails, carapice formation, antenna growth, and lobster hands.

The price has come down from $25,000 per year to $8,000 per year. With new breakthroughs in production and possible new sources (currently the Chinese herb Astragalus), the costs will come down. You can’t just take Astragalus for these benefits as it takes incredible amounts of the raw herb to produce minute amounts of the extracted molecule that provides the life extension benefits.

Everything’s a fad…until it isn’t.

And regarding the telomerase in mice versus humans, mice appear to use telomerase throughout their lives, while humans don’t except in the gametes and a few other cell types.
On the other hand, telomerase is what lets an embryo divide so many times (well beyond the Hayflick limit) without every embryo dying or getting cancer. That fact is what is exciting to me.