ABSTRACT
A famous story tells of the person who craved the good life now, and bartered his soul with the devil for instant gratication. A molecular version of this tale is now circulating among scientists in the eld of aging. According to this version, mammals such as mice that fully benet from the presence of DHA in most of their membranes pay with a shortened life span lasting only about 3 to 4 years. In contrast, humans, who target DHA away from most cells and thus shun many of the benets, can live more than a century. However, since our indispensable and complex neurosensory system requires DHA we may be selectively pushing brain longevity beyond its evolved limit (as described in Chapter 20).
