Is this the secret of eternal life?

What is the key to eternal youth? Russian scientist Anatoli Brouchkov thinks he has found the answer by injecting himself with 3.5-million-year-old bacteria.

Brouchkov, head of the Geocryology Department at Moscow State University, claims to have discovered a bacteria that has survived in the permafrost for millions of years. Following tests on mice, fruit flies and human blood cells, the 58-year-old offered himself up as a human guinea pig and the results, he says, are remarkable.

Speaking to the Siberian Times, Brouchkov says he has started to work longer, hasn't had the flu for the past two years and feels healthier and stronger after injecting himself with the 'elixir of life'.

While acknowledging that further tests are needed to ascertain the true effects of Bacillus F bacteria on the human body, Brouchkov defended his claims: "It wasn't quite a scientific experiment so I cannot professionally describe the effect but the results for me were quite clear. We have to work out how this bacteria prevents ageing. What is keeping that mechanism alive? And how we can use it for our own benefits?"

Brouchkov cites the Yakut people, who have been exposed to the thawing permafrost over time, living longer and healthier lives, as proof that the bacteria works.

First discovered in 2009, the regenerative effects of bacteria are potentially a huge money-making opportunity, says the Daily Telegraph, while it may also hold the key to fertility.

Tests with mice have found the bacteria allows older females to reproduce long after they have been declared infertile.