Discovering new anti-aging secrets from the world's longest-living vertebrate
Originally published by Society for Experimental Biology, on July 3, 2024 Tissue collection from a Greenland shark. Credit: Ewan Camplisson New experimental research shows that muscle metabolic activity may be an important factor in the incredible longevity of the world's oldest living vertebrate species—the Greenland shark . These findings may have applications for conservation of this vulnerable species against climate change or even for human cardiovascular health . Greenland sharks ( Somniosus microcephalus ) are the longest-living vertebrate , with an expected lifespan of at least 270 years and a possible lifespan beyond 500 years. "We want to understand what adaptations they have that allow them to live so long," says Ewan Camplisson, a Ph.D. student at the University of Manchester, UK . Previously , it was thought that this long lifespan was due to the shark's cold environment and minimal movement , but the factors behind the extreme longevi