Researchers in Spain have found that a major oncogene suffers from two other important positive functions: weight loss and longevity. Researchers at the Spanish National Center for Oncology Research used mice to conduct the study and came to this conclusion. Mice with one more copy of the oncogene Pten in their bodies had greater immunity to cancer and lived longer. The cancer-suppressing effects of the Pten gene have been known for some time, so the animals’ ability to suppress cancer cells was enhanced by having an additional replicating Pten gene in their bodies. The researchers found that mice with extra Pten genes in their bodies weighed 28% less on average compared to normal mice, despite consuming a high-calorie diet. The mystery of this phenomenon lies in brown fat. This fat helps the body to burn calories. Activating this fat is considered to be the most guaranteed and natural way to fight obesity. However, this function operates only after the brain detects, through neural signals, the stress generated by overnutrition. So far, all the methods that can play a role in manipulating this neural signal produce various side effects, but the Pten gene is able to activate this function, while allowing the body to burn calories more efficiently. The trial also found that mice with double the Pten gene lived an average of 12% longer, and that these mice were more tolerant of excess fat in the liver and less likely to develop diabetes.