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In nematodes, a metabolite induced by the cold links low temperatures to a body-wide signal that promotes longevity. This signalling system is also seen in human cells.
By
- Hanseul Lee ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1800-27010 &
- Seung-Jae V. Lee ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6103-156X1
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Hanseul Lee
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Hanseul Lee is in the Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, South Korea.
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Seung-Jae V. Lee
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Seung-Jae V. Lee is in the Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, South Korea.
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Temperature is a crucial factor that affects ageing and lifespan. For instance, a moderately low ambient temperature or a lowered core body temperature can extend lifespan in various organisms, from nematode worms to mice1. Writing in Nature, Lee et al.2 identify a metabolic switch that activates a longevity program in response to moderately low temperature.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-03066-3
References
Conti, B. & de Cabo, R. Nature Aging 5, 740–749 (2025).
Lee, H. J. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11152-9 (2026).
Pearl, R. The Rate of Living (Univ. London Press, 1924).
Lee, S.-J. & Kenyon, C. Curr. Biol. 19, 715–722 (2009).
Xiao, R. et al. Cell 152, 806–817 (2013).
Lee, H. J. et al. Nature Aging 3, 546–566 (2023).
Frank, S. M. et al. Am. J. Physiol. 272, R557–R562 (1997).
Lee, D. et al. PLoS Biol. 17, e3000415 (2019).
Levy, H. L. et al. Lancet 370, 504–510 (2007).
Chow, L. S. et al. Nature Rev. Endocrinol. 18, 273–289 (2022).
Competing Interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
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