Deep down, we are all cannibals. In tomorrow’s issue of the New York Times, I take a look at the science of autophagy: how our cells destroy themselves to live again. It turns out that this cellular cannibalism is crucial for our well-being in many ways. Scientists are now trying to improve our ability to destroy ourselves as a potential treatment for diseases like cancer and Huntington disease, and perhaps even to slow the process of aging itself. Check it out.
(Note to link-lovers: the article takes you directly to some of the primary literature. Progress!)
[Image: Royal Academy of Arts]
Originally published October 5, 2009. Copyright 2009 Carl Zimmer.