Immortal Animals
If they can, could we?
Resources
AnAge - Database of Animal Ageing and Longevity - Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR)
Curated database of ageing and life history in animals, including extensive longevity records.
Animals and plants that can live forever - BBC Earth
Stem cells seem to be the key in Hydra's lack of cellular ageing
Recent News
Naked Mole Rats Repair DNA Super Efficiently
Fight Aging! - 27-Jun-2018Spontaneous tumors are extremely rare in naked mole rats. Cancer is a consequence of mutation in nuclear DNA. Several genes involved in DNA repair are up-regulated in NMRs. Proteins involved in redox processes are more resistant to denaturing agents. Have more efficient base excision & nucleotide excision repair systems.
Red coral can live for five hundred years
National Geographic - 31-Mar-2018Coral living in deeper waters have longer lives. Red coral live at depths of over half a mile deep. Natural selection favors long lifespans in stable environments. Longest-lived marine species was a sponge (Monorhaphis chuni) that was estimated to be 11,000 years old.
Alpha-2-Macroglobulin in the Cancer Immunity of Naked Mole-Rats
Fight Aging! - 08-Jan-2018Naked mole-rats are near immune to cancer. So far this resistance has been put down to greater efficiency in cancer suppression genes. Alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M) appears to inhibit tumor growth in multiple mammalian species. Naked mole-rats have a very high level of A2M in their tissues. Older humans exhibit lower levels of A2M than their younger counterparts.
