Highlights: 5 February

The Unexpected Discovery of the First Antidepressant

From its early origins as cast-off rocket fuel, the drug iproniazid began as a treatment for tuberculosis, but when patients became notably cheerier and started “dancing in the halls,” psychiatrists had found the world’s first prescription antidepressant. Ironically, when combined with chocolate, cheese, or alcohol, this drug causes potentially lethal spikes in blood pressure, causing its early success to come to a quick end. The full story in Discover.

A Normal Lifespan, Without the Aging

Researchers at the Kogod Center on Aging and the American Federation for Aging are questioning whether aging is really as inevitable as assumed – or at least the diseases associated with aging. By understanding the biochemical processes that underlie aging, it may be feasible to develop drugs to postpone the detrimental effects of aging, thus extending the healthy portion of a person’s lifespan. An overview from the NYTimes.