DISCOVERIES
TURTLES CAN ALMOST STOP AGEING – WHY CAN’T WE?
AGEING
Researchers studying slow-ageing animals are beginning to understand why these creatures are able to live longer than us
Research suggests that some reptile species barely seem to age, despite growing older
BETH A REINKE/NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY, GETTY IMAGES
Some cold-blooded animals can slow their ageing so much that they’re essentially not ageing at all, according to the findings of the most comprehensive study of ageing to date.
Published recently in the journal Science, the study was carried out by an international team of 114 scientists at Penn State and Northeastern Illinois University and involved 77 species of reptiles and amphibians. The team hopes that by studying these animals they can gain insights that could lead to treatments for age-related conditions in humans.