{"data":{"id":2438,"lang":"en","title":"Magnetic Bacteria Extend Worm Lifespan by 43%, Chinese Study Finds","summary":"A magnetic bacterium extended C. elegans worm lifespan by over 43% by suppressing iron-driven cell death, Chinese researchers report.","category":"science","category_label":"Science","published_at":"2026-09-25T18:01:02Z","updated_at":"2026-09-25T18:01:02Z","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/2438-magnetic-bacteria-extend-worm-lifespan-by-43-chinese-study-finds","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/2438?lang=en","markdown_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/2438.md?lang=en","image_url":"https://www.sciencedaily.com/images/1920/magnetic-bacterium.webp","word_count":143,"reading_time_minutes":1,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260924020357.htm","domain":"sciencedaily.com"}],"translation":{"lang":"cs","id":2511,"title":"Magnetické bakterie prodloužily červům život o 43 %, zjistila čínská studie","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2511-magneticke-bakterie-prodlouzily-cervum-zivot-o-43-zjistila-cinska-studie","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/2511?lang=cs"},"content":"Researchers at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, found that feeding C. elegans worms a magnetotactic bacterium called Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 extended their average lifespan by 43.39% while preserving neurological function and intestinal integrity into old age.\n\nLed by Prof. An Xu, the team traced the effect to suppression of ferroptosis, a form of cell death driven by iron buildup and oxidative damage to fats within cells. AMB-1 lowered iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation in the worms, and three genes -- ftn-1, bli-3, and ads-1 -- were identified as key to the pathway.\n\nThe bacterium's ability to produce magnetosomes, internal magnetic particles, proved essential: wild-type AMB-1 delivered a much stronger longevity boost than non-magnetotactic strains, suggesting the magnetic properties themselves, not just the microbe, drive the anti-aging effect. The study was published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine."}}