Life Sciences & Medicine Active Updated Nov 6, 2026
Bones as a source of anti-aging signals
Where it stands as of Nov 6, 2026
Researchers at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou found that bone loading extended the median lifespan of old mice by 9.4 percent, about 80 days. Destroying the PIEZO1 channel in adult mouse bone cells cut median lifespan by about 11 percent in females and 13 percent in males, and PIEZO1 also falls with age in human bone. The load was applied to anaesthetized mice by a device, and nobody has shown the same effect in people.
The story so far
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Nov 6, 2026 Latest
Researchers at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou reported that rhythmically loading the shinbones of anaesthetized mice, starting at 20 months, raised median lifespan 9.4 percent and improved strength, coordination and memory. Plasma from treated mice gave other old mice some of the benefit, and the protein PEDF, raised in the blood by bone loading, improved cognitive and physical performance when injected.
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