Short telomeres tied to higher mortality in Indian Ocean warblers <\/p>\n
By Tina Hesman Saey <\/p>\n
Web edition: November 20, 2012 <\/p>\n
WARBLER LONGEVITY <\/p>\n
A study of Seychelles warblers (shown) suggests the length of protective chromosome end caps is linked to the risk of dying. <\/p>\n
Credit: University of East Anglia <\/p>\n
The long and short of a birds life may be recorded in the tips of its chromosomes, a new study suggests. <\/p>\n
A study of Seychelles warblers living on a small island in the Indian Ocean suggests that the length of telomeres bits of DNA that cap chromosome ends can predict a birds chance of dying better than its chronological age can. Warblers with shorter telomeres were less likely to survive another year, especially if the truncation happened rapidly, David S. Richardson, a molecular ecologist at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, and colleagues report online November 20 in Molecular Ecology. <\/p>\n
The study provides very important evidence that backs up what has been found in the laboratory changes in telomere length matter a lot, says animal ecologist Pat Monaghan of the University of Glasgow in Scotland. <\/p>\n
Increasing age and body mass were also linked to shorter telomeres in the birds. That result stands in contrast to a recent large study of people in northern California that found telomeres get shorter with age, but that higher body mass is associated with longer telomeres (SN Online, 11\/11\/12). <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
See the original post here: Short telomeres tied to higher mortality in Indian Ocean warblers By Tina Hesman Saey Web edition: November 20, 2012 WARBLER LONGEVITY A study of Seychelles warblers (shown) suggests the length of protective chromosome end caps is linked to the risk of dying. Continue reading
\nChromosome ends hold clues to a bird's longevity<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"