A team of UCSD scientists genetically rewired the circuit that controls cell aging in yeast. The circuit’s normal role functions like a toggle switch, but the team engineered a negative feedback loop that operates as a clock-like gene oscillator, which drives the cell to periodically switch between two detrimental “aged” states, avoiding prolonged commitment to either, and slowing cell degeneration. Their approach extended yeast cell lifespan by a dramatic 82%.