Researchers Find Genes Explain 55% Of Lifespan Variation

Uri Alon and Ben Shenhar published a study in Science that found genetic factors explain about 55% of variation in human lifespan after separating intrinsic and extrinsic mortality, according to the paper.

The finding doubles earlier heritability estimates of 6% to 33% and was derived by reanalyzing twin datasets and removing external-cause deaths that previously masked genetic effects, the authors said.

Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, praised the method as unmasking biology, while Eric Verdin, president of the Buck Institute, cautioned infection vulnerability may blur intrinsic mortality definitions.

Researchers calibrated models using correlations from thousands of twin pairs in Denmark and Sweden and validated results with U.S. sibling-of-centenarian datasets, the paper says.

Uri Alon, lead author and systems biologist at the Weizmann Institute, said the team hopes sequencing centenarians and finding protective gene combinations will guide therapies, though Dan Arking said translating findings into drugs could take decades.