Live Fast, Die Young, Leave a Beautiful Corpse? Lifespan and Health in C. elegans

From human twins to the products of division of a single bacterium, genetically identical organisms often develop into very different individuals and experience different life histories, even in identical environments. Such differences, and other instances of so-called non-genetic individuality, are the focus of the Pincus lab.

We primarily use variability in C. elegans lifespan as a metazoan model for understanding noise control, homeostatic robustness, and biological individuality. Overall, we hope to understand why and how some individuals age more successfully than others.