Scientists Finally Discover How Greenland Sharks Can Live to be 500 Years Old

Experts believe they have finally discovered the secret behind Greenland sharks’ ability to live so long.

Green Land Sharks They can live up to 500 years and it is hoped that they will live for a long time to come. Holds the key to anti-aging in humans.

Theories about their great age have been attributed to their extremely cold habitat, living in Arctic and North Atlantic waters at depths of up to 2,647 meters, and their limited mobility.

But now studies on this species suggest that this is entirely due to its constant metabolic activity.

New research has been presented in Conference of the Society for Experimental Biology He suggested that, unlike other animals, the Greenland shark’s metabolism does not appear to change over time, regardless of age.

Lead author Iwan Campbellson, a PhD candidate at the University of Manchester, explained Life Sciences: “This is important to us because it shows that sharks do not show traditional signs of aging.”

BBC

Metabolism refers to the chemical process by which enzymes break down nutrients into energy and use that energy to repair the body. In most animals, metabolism slows as we age, resulting in decreased cell turnover, decreased energy production, and slower recovery.

As part of the study, muscle tissue was taken from 23 Greenland sharks. They were caught off the southern coast of Disko Island in central Greenland and ranged in age from 60 to 200 years, based on their body size.

The researchers then measured the activity of five enzymes in the tissues to determine each shark’s metabolic rate. To their surprise, they found that there was no difference between the ages.

“In most animals, you would expect some enzymes to decline in activity over time because they deteriorate and become less efficient,” Campbellson explains.

But in Greenland sharks, their stable metabolism appears to prevent them from declining in the same way as other animals, allowing them to live astonishingly long lives.

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