Mice who are cool — temperature-wise, not attitude-wise — live longer, said researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif.
The mice were genetically engineered to have a slightly lower body temperature than normal mice, WebMD.com said. The lower temperature — about one-half to one degree F lower — didn’t seem to affect the mice’s reactions or behaviors.
They still got fevers as high as normal mice and they had normal appetites, WebMD.com said. In fact, cool male mice packed a little extra weight as they aged.
But the cool mice lived longer than normal mice. Females lived about 20 percent longer and males lived about 12 percent longer, WebMD.com said.
Researchers, who spent five years on the project, said they hope their findings help develop drugs or devices that could extend human lives, WebMD.com said.
Their findings were published in the Nov. 3 issue of the Journal Science.
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