The slow aging of some animals extends their lives

Washington-Sana

A recent American study revealed that the protective mechanisms that exist in some cold-blooded animals, their body temperature, lead to slow aging and prolong their lifespan compared to others.

The study, published in the American Journal of Science, was conducted by 114 scientists to search for the secret of cold-blooded organisms living longer than their peers and studied 107 groups of wild creatures representing 77 different species, and it is the first study focused on understanding the phenomenon of longevity and aging in this detail.

The study relied on collecting and analyzing decades-old data on how the animal's body regulates temperature, environmental temperature data, the characteristics of organisms, and the pace of life. It also examined the biological mechanisms that allow giant turtles to be the longest-living land animals.

The study showed that out of 30 species of vertebrates known to be able to survive for more than 100 years, only 26 of them appeared exothermic, meaning that these organisms such as reptiles and amphibians depend on environmental heat sources because their internal physiological sources of heat are relatively few. Of the factors slowly aging.

Evolutionary biologist at Northeastern Illinois University and lead researcher on the study, Beth Rink, explained that the different protective mechanisms of animals reduce their mortality rate and give them the ability to live longer, which leads to the development of a phenotype characterized by slow aging, noting that this slow aging is present in at least one species. From each of the groups of ectotherms including frogs, salamanders, lizards, crocodiles and turtles.