Could mending damaged DNA prolong life?

TL;DR - A Nature news feature (4 Aug 2026) on efforts to boost DNA-repair capacity as a route to extending healthspan, drawing on clues from long-lived animals and human centenarians. It matters as a mechanistic angle on ageing biology, though this item is not itself an AI advance.

• Framing premise: accumulated DNA damage is treated as a driver of ageing, so enhancing repair is posited as a lever on healthspan rather than just lifespan.
• Comparative-biology approach: long-lived species are used as natural models whose repair pathways may point to actionable targets.
• Human genetics angle: centenarians are studied as an existing population enriched for protective repair-related traits.
• Caveat: the supplied content is only the title plus a one-line teaser — no specific genes, interventions, or results are given, so the above is inferred from that framing.