500 years ago, Ponce De Leon, one of the explorers who sailed with Christopher Columbus, became famous when he set off in search of the fountain of youth. He heard stories about a magical water source that could keep a person young. He didn't find the magical water source, but he did find Florida. Aging, and how to stop the hands of time, are still of interest to scientists today. They are simply a different kind of explorer, who use microscopes instead of ships, in the voyage of their explorations. We are human, and humans want to live long and remain young longer.

Aging increases the risk for cancer. So, in a study of how aging works on a cellular level, scientists are also studying how cancer works on a cellular level. Buck Institute in the USA and the University of Manchester in the UK researchers found a protein that plays a role in aging and is linked to cancer prevention -- in the checkpoint  proteins of the nematode worm. By removing some of the proteins, they could increase the lifespan of the worm by 15 to 30 percent. This could open the door to understanding why some people seem genetically programmed for longevity and also seem to have a greater resistance in the development of cancers.