3 Aug 2012

Mutated gene gives woman a longer life

4:29 pm on 3 August 2012

Researchers from Monash University in Melbourne claim they have discovered why women live longer than men.

They say it is a mutated gene in men that counts for an, on average, four year difference in life expectancy between the sexes.

It is located within a set of genes called mitochondria which are passed on only through the mother.

The mutation in the mitochondria makes men age faster.