Efforts to tinker with the biology of ageing to treat disease and extend lifespan are beginning to resemble the split personalities of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

This week, scientists revealed that giving healthy, middle-aged mice an ingredient found in red wine fends off heart disease, bone loss and muscle atrophy. But the chemical, called resveratrol, doesn't extend the rodent's lifespan as previous work had found in obese mice.

Meanwhile, another study found that eliminating a key ageing protein called SIRT1, production of which is cranked up by resveratrol, protects brain cells from the build up of toxic oxidants – yet the mice die younger than normal mice.   Read More...