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10. FLATWORMS
Flatworms, also known as planarian worms, have remarkable regenerative abilities.
If sliced in two, the individual segments are able to repair themselves, transforming
into separate specimens. Even 1/279th of the worm is able to re-grow into an individual.
This is because one fifth of this worm’s body is made up of stem cells, which are capable
of turning into any type of tissue.
As a result, flatworms are regularly analyzed as part of stem cell research, in an attempt
to discover ways of growing and rejuvenating human cells indefinitely.
Sources: Reader’s Digest, The Week
9. NAKED MOLE RATS
Immune to cancer, able to survive with barely any oxygen, and sometimes impervious to pain,
naked mole rats are a natural anomaly.
The rats can live for up to 32 years, almost five times longer than other rodents.
Scientists say this is because naked mole rat tissue is more efficient at recognizing
and neutralising abnormal cells than any other living creature.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool and the Genome Analysis Centre are looking
into methods of harnessing this power to help cure killer diseases, like cancer in humans.
Sources: New York Post, BBC, Genome Analysis Centre
8. HYDRA MAGNIPAPILLATA [mag-ni-pap-ill-eighter]
Hydras are a microscopic type of freshwater polyp [poll-ip], and biologists from the University
of Southern Denmark have described them as ‘effectively immortal’.
They are very simple organism, only a couple of millimeters long. But they are the only
organism that can survive, and even reproduce, without a nervous system.
Hydras have a high level of the enzyme telomerase [telo-murr-ays]. This gives them the remarkable
ability to regenerate the protective ends of chromosomes, known as telomeres [telo-meers].
And this allows potentially limitless cell renewal.
In humans, telomeres shorten every time a cell renews, which is what causes the ill
effects of aging.
Researchers have already begun experiments, introducing telomerase into human cells in
a test tube. Such endeavors are risky, however, as there is no way yet to prevent human cells
from mutating dangerously.
Sources: news.discovery.com, sciencedaily.com
7. LOBSTERS
Unlike most animals, lobsters do not get weaker and more vulnerable as they get older. They
just get bigger.
Every year a lobster sheds its shell, making it stronger and fitter. Even their fertility
levels increase.
Scientists speculate that lobsters only ever die from disease or attack, and they question
how long they could potentially live without those factors.
In 2009, PETA estimated that the world’s oldest lobster, known as George, was 140 years
old.
Some species of lobster give off an antioxidant chemical in their bodies, which helps prevent
their cells breaking down. This discovery has already had an impact on the human population.
It was a key motivation behind doctors’ recommendation that we eat foods high in antioxidants.
Sources: BBC, The Week, PETA
6. GLASS SPONGES
Glass sponges are so named because their skeletons are formed from silica, a mineral found in
glass.
Like clams, they have the ability to slow their growth enzymes to almost a complete
stop.
As a result, they can live for a phenomenal 15,000 years. Analysis of the chemicals in
their skeletons has actually been used to measure how sea temperatures have changed
over thousands of years.
Perhaps working out how glass sponges are able to suspend the aging process so effectively
could hold the key to human immortality.
Sources: genomics.senescence.info, wildlifetv.wordpress.com
5. BOWHEAD WHALES
The oldest living mammal, the Bowhead Whale, can live for over 200 years.
Bowheads rarely succumb to age-related diseases. This is surprising, given that they have over
1,000 times more cells than humans do, due to them measuring 20 meters long and weighing
60 tons.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool discovered that the whales have almost 80
genes that provide them with aging defenses.
The researchers plan to introduce a Bowhead gene into a laboratory mouse to see if they
will increase the creature’s lifespan.
Sources: livescience.com, Mother Nature Network
4. CLAMS
Clams grow exceptionally slowly. Once they reach *** maturity, their growth enzymes
become almost entirely inactive, rendering them immune to the effects of old age.
In 2006, scientists discovered an ocean quahog [ko-hog] clam, which was an incredible 507
years old.
Nicknamed Ming, the clam holds the record for being the oldest individual animal whose
age could be accurately measured.
But to find out Ming’s age, researchers had to open its shell and count the band-marks.
Unfortunately, this process killed Ming.
A team at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts are currently studying clam
DNA. They hope to discover genetic information that could be used to create human antibodies
to fight harmful bacteria and viruses.
Sources: sciencenordic.com, Marine Biological Laboratory
3. TURTLES
Like their tortoise cousins, turtles are regularly noted among the oldest inhabitants of the
animal kingdom.
There is no biological difference between a young turtle and a turtle that is over 100
years old.
This is because their organs stop aging once the sea creatures reach puberty.
Furthermore, turtles have a very bizarre ability. In low-oxygen situations, they can slow their
heartbeat to as little as one beat a minute, conserving the oxygen already in their systems.
Medical researchers are looking into how this could be adapted to help eradicate the deadly
effects of de-oxygenating heart attacks in humans.
Sources: io9.com, The Week, University of Alaska
2. TARDIGRADES
The microscopic tardigrade is famous for its ability to survive in very extreme conditions.
The 1.5-millimeter-long, 8-legged invertebrates, also known as water bears, have existed for
over 1.5 million years.
They can withstand temperatures from below zero to well above boiling. They even survived
the vacuum of outer space and are barely susceptible to the effects of harmful radiation.
By entering a cryptobiotic state and stopping all metabolic processes, they can survive
for a decade without water.
The invincible qualities of tardigrades have been intensively investigated by scientists
looking to prolong human life. In particular, they have inspired much research into the
idea of cryonics and placing humans in a frozen state of inactivity.
Sources: incrediblebeings.com, Mother Nature Network, New York Times
1. TURRITOPSIS DOHRNII [Turr-oh-top-sis Dorn-high]: THE IMMORTAL JELLYFISH
The so-called immortal jellyfish is less than 5mm tall and most commonly found in warmer
waters, such as the Caribbean Sea, or the Mediterranean.
When the jellyfish is injured, or suffering from a disease, it can attach itself to the
ocean floor and transform back into a young polyp.
Their tentacles retract and their bodies shrink, as they effectively become a newborn all over
again. This cycle can also repeat indefinitely.
Japanese biologist Shin Kubota has been culturing the jellyfish in his lab, attempting to determine
how the species rejuvenates itself. He believes that it will offer a lot of promise for investigations
into human immortality.
Sources: news.discovery.com, zidbits.com, BBC, The Week