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Find Out Your Age Through Your Spit
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Untitled Document
 You
may not think about it, but your saliva is important in so
many different ways. It helps you eat, break down food, and swallow. Your saliva, or
spit, also contains your DNA! DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) contains
your body’s genetic material. Recently, researchers
have discovered that the DNA in your spit can also tell them how biologically old you are.
Two weeks ago, scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles
(UCLA) used a chemical process to find out a person’s age.
The test was able to get a person’s age to an accuracy of within 5 years. They studied
the building blocks of human DNA and discovered that several genes were strongly linked
to biological age. They connected age-related genes to a chemical
process called “methylation” which changes
one of the four building blocks on the DNA and found that they could
tell the age of the volunteer subjects.
The UCLA scientists were studying identical male twin genes at the
time when they came across the discovery. Currently, they have only
tested those between the ages of 20 to 70 years, but further research could help
doctors determine the exact biological
age of a person, as some people’s cells age faster than others.
The research team is excited because this could lead the way to more
personalized medicine, based on an individual’s
unique physical characteristics. The study
doesn’t stop there. Since environment is a factor in aging, this study
could also make concrete connections
between aging and environmental influence. |
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안녕하세요.
