The Sunday Times: News

IN A finding that sheds new light on the ageing process, scientists have discovered that men who father children later in life are more likely to produce daughters who have a shorter lifespan. A study of European royal families, including the House of Windsor, discovered that men who have children in late middle age are more likely to have daughters who die earlier in life than the daughters of younger men. The effect does not extend to sons, nor to the daughters of older women. Scientists believe its uniqueness to the female offspring of older men raises the prospect of finding longevity genes on the X chromosome, which men pass on only to their daughters. The research, one of the most comprehensive investigations into the age of fatherhood, has focused attention on the role the X chromosome may have on the ageing process. Last week another Your news selection in the Personal Times Next page: Fluoride toothpaste warning