In the battle against aging and all that it entails, scientists are testing out a new weapon: sound waves.
Specifically, according to University of Texas findings published in New Scientist, ultrasound waves have been found to restart division in cells, essentially reinvigorating them.
As we age, our cells divide less and less, and those dormant cells are the key to aging. Some of them secrete toxins that trigger inflammation, which can cause everything from high blood pressure to dementia to heart disease.
In their experiments, U of T researchers had mice of the equivalent age of an elderly human submerge in a bath, through which ultrasound waves were fired. The waves were far less powerful than those used to produce medical images, it was explained.
Lo and behold, the mice that underwent the ultrasound therapy were observed to have cells that kick-started back into the cell division process — essentially, it turned back the clock. The rodents were able to run faster and longer on a little treadmill than the untreated ones. It even “cured” one elderly mouse’s hunched back.
“I don’t think rejuvenation is too strong a term,” says professor Michael Sheetz at the University of Texas Medical Branch. “‘Is this too good to be true?’ is the question I often ask. We are examining all aspects of it to see if it really does work.”