New Scientist reports on new anti-ageing research in mole rats:

Ageing is often blamed on the oxidising compounds we produce in our bodies, which gradually wear down DNA and proteins. These damaged molecules then go on to wreak havoc in cells. [Researchers] found twice as many undamaged proteins in naked mole rats as in mice. What's more, the rats' protein recycling machinery was exceptionally active (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0809620106). The team suspects that naked mole rats manufacture extra quantities of molecules that are responsible for labelling damaged proteins that need to be recycled quickly to minimise their effect on cells.

A very good illustration of how a successfull solution to a detection problem leads to a greatly improved  overall control system. In this case, efficient detection and labelling of "bad agents" serves as a perfect setup for the work of an in-cell recycling mechanism. Of course, the research team still has to prove its intuition, but if they do, we might be on a road to eternal life. :)