Longevity and disease resistance in humans may soon be transformed by studying and emulating the genetic strategies encoded in nature’s most resilient and long-lived species. As explored in the book Live Longer: What You Can Do, What Medicine Can Do, which I coauthored, current research is unlocking how the Arctic bowhead whale, African elephant and microscopic tardigrade use DNA repair systems and molecular shields to defy the expected limits of lifespan and resist cancer. Now, research is working to adapt these mechanisms for use in mammalian cells. It is also exploring new therapies for aging, cancer and post-surgical recovery.
The Evolutionary Outliers
The evolutionary outliers set the stage for this exploration. Take the bowhead whale, a giant of the Arctic, for example. It claims the crown for mammalian longevity. These whales survive up to 200 years in frigid waters and maintain genome stability despite having billions of cells and a lifespan spanning centuries. The recently profiled Greenland shark also stands out among these outliers, with a lifespan often estimated between 300 and an astonishing 500 years, making it the longest-lived vertebrate known to science. Their stable metabolism, slow growth and resistance to environmental assaults provide a compelling model to decode the biological roots of longevity.
Then there are elephants, with bodies containing vastly more cells than humans. They defy cancer statistics. More specifically, they rarely develop tumors. This phenomenon has perplexed researchers for decades, leading to what is called Peto’s Paradox. It describes how large, long-lived animals such as elephants and whales do not have higher cancer rates than smaller animals, despite having more cells and a greater statistical risk.
The idea is that these species have evolved effective cancer suppression mechanisms, including enhanced DNA repair, a form of programmed cell death that removes damaged cells and cell cycle regulation. The finding challenges previous assumptions about cancer risk and drives research into similar mechanisms in other organisms.
For example, the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans is often referred to as the most radiation-resistant organism known. The bacterium thrives in environments with intense radiation that would otherwise be lethal to most life forms. This is similar to what is seen in tardigrades.
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