The Daily Rounds: Longevity & Health Care Brief | April 28, 2026
🧬 SuperAgers Grow 2.5x More New Neurons Than Their Peers — Northwestern researchers found that exceptional cognitive aging in adults over 80 is driven by dramatically elevated neurogenesis, offering a new biological target for brain longevity therapies. 🦠 Hidden Gut Virus Linked to Colorectal Cancer Risk — A previously unknown bacteriophage inside common gut bacteria appears at significantly higher rates in colorectal cancer patients, pointing to a new microbiome-based cancer screening opportunity. 💊 Novo Nordisk and OpenAI Join Forces for Drug Discovery — The partnership deploys AI across R&D, manufacturing, and commercial operations as pharmaceutical giants accelerate the race to AI-native drug pipelines. 🍽️ Fasting's Lifespan Benefit Lives in the Refeeding, Not the Fast Itself — UT Southwestern researchers traced the 60%-plus lifespan extension of fasting to the metabolic reset during refeeding, reframing how intermittent fasting protocols should be designed and studied. ⚡ Muscle Power Outperforms Strength as a Mortality Predictor — Mayo Clinic researchers found that the ability to generate force quickly is a stronger predictor of all-cause mortality than raw strength, arguing for power training as a core longevity medicine intervention.
