The Merits Of Killifish

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If you recall the discussions last year on creating a Methuselah Fly Prize to run alongside the Methuselah Mouse Prize, then you'll probably already know the significance of killifish in aging research. From Practical Fishkeeping: "Scientists are using killifish from the Nothobranchius genus to study the effects of aging.... Nothobranchius can be used to test the effects of aging at a pace comparable to that seen with other model organisms such as the fruit fly, Drosophila. ... Because they live fast and die young, they make good subjects for studying the effects of aging upon vertebrate cells." The cost and length of mouse experiments in healthy life extension science is an obstacle: for some types of experiment, flies and fish provide much cheaper, faster alternatives.

Link: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=727