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Invertebrate Lifespan Quantification

Overview

Many animals naturally stop growing upon reaching adulthood, after which they undergo aging or "senescence" until dying. The amount of time between an organism\'s birth and death is called its lifespan, which can be influenced by various biological and environmental factors. By exposing organisms to different growth conditions, scientists can better understand the factors affecting lifespan. Flies and worms are ideal organisms to perform such experiments, given their short generation time and simple culture requirements.

This video provides a brief overview of the factors affecting aging, and goes on to describe basic protocols for invertebrate lifespan quantification experiments. Finally, three research applications of lifespan quantification will be discussed. These experiments explore the effects of diverse factors, such as temperature, drugs, pathogens, and diet, on lifespan.

Procedure

Lifespan quantification experiments allow scientists to examine the genetic and environmental influences on an organism's lifespan. Invertebrate model organisms, such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, have proven extremely useful in this regard. By performing experiments that measure and manipulate lifespan in these organisms, scientists have begun to work out the factors affecting the aging process.

In this video, you will learn about some princ

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Tags
InvertebrateLifespan QuantificationExperimentsGenetic InfluencesEnvironmental InfluencesOrganism s LifespanInvertebrate Model OrganismsFruit FlyDrosophila MelanogasterRoundwormCaenorhabditis ElegansAging ProcessPrinciples Of Lifespan And AgingMeasuring Lifespan In InvertebratesExperimental ProceduresFactors Affecting AgingRadiation DamageChemical DamageMetabolic Processes

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0:00

Overview

0:54

Principles of Lifespan and Aging

2:17

Measuring Lifespan in C. elegans

4:35

Measuring Lifespan in Drosophila

6:03

Applications

8:02

Summary

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