Easter Island/Rapa Nui in the Pacific Ocean is known for its big statues. In fact, they are the largest statues of the whole southern hemisphere.
But the island contains many more mysteries. Recently, scientists have discovered that a bacterial drug in the ground increases the lifespan. The substance named rapamycin seems to reverse Alzheimer as well.
The fountain of youth stories may contain some truth after all.
Excerpt :
On July 8, in the journal Nature, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and two collaborating centers reported that the Easter Island compound – called "rapamycin" after the island's Polynesian name, Rapa Nui – extended the expected lifespan of middle-aged mice by 28 percent to 38 percent. In human terms, this would be greater than the predicted increase in extra years of life if cancer and heart disease were both cured and prevented.
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