Daily briefing: Around seven hours of sleep slows biological ageing

"Getting about six to eight hours of sleep each day is linked to a lower risk of death and disease - any more or less is associated with accelerated biological ageing. Researchers analysed health data from more than 500,000 people and found that the ticks of 12 biological 'clocks' were generally slowest in people who got about seven hours of sleep, though the optimum amount of sleep time varied slightly between clocks that indicate age in different organs, and between men and women."

"Ancient proteins extracted from the teeth of Homo erectus individuals that lived in China suggest that the group might have interbred with Denisovans, another archaic human species. Researchers used enamel proteins from six H. erectus individuals and identified an amino-acid variant that's previously been seen in Denisovans. The group also identified two amino-acid sequence variants shared by all six individuals that set H. erectus apart from humans and other human relatives - something that has proved hard to find in the past."

"For the first time, an antiviral pill has been shown to prevent people coming down with COVID-19 after being exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The drug, ensitrelvir, blocks an enzyme that coronaviruses need to make new copies of themselves. The results come years after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the drug could be a lifeline for those who still face real danger from the virus, such as care-home residents or transplant recipients on immune-suppressing medication."

Getting about six to eight hours of sleep each day is linked to lower risk of death and disease. More or less sleep is associated with accelerated biological ageing. Researchers analysed health data from more than 500,000 people and measured the pace of 12 biological clocks. The clocks were generally slowest in people who got about seven hours of sleep, with small differences across clocks that reflect age in different organs and between men and women. Ancient proteins extracted from Homo erectus teeth in China suggest interbreeding with Denisovans. An amino-acid variant previously seen in Denisovans was identified in six individuals, along with shared sequence variants that distinguish Homo erectus from humans and other relatives. An antiviral pill, ensitrelvir, prevented COVID-19 after exposure by blocking a coronavirus enzyme needed to copy the virus.

Read at Nature