WIKIMEDIA, SHWSIEResearchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego have extended the lives of some mice while promoting organ and muscle recovery in others, according to a study published last week (December 15) in Cell. The scientists accomplished the feat by activating four genes known as “Yamanaka factors,” a combination of transcription factors discovered in 2006 that can convert differentiated cells into pluripotent precursors. The study was limited in scope, but it has created a stir among scientists hoping to slow the effects of aging and treat rare, aging-related diseases.

“Our study shows that aging may not have to proceed in one single direction,” coauthor Carlos Izpisua Belmonte of the Salk Institute told The Guardian. “With careful modulation, aging might be reversed.”

Indeed, careful modulation appears to be key. Early attempts to reverse aging with high doses of the Yamanaka factors led...