Episode 404
Jonathan the tortoise was born in the year 1832, on a beach in the Seychelles. 194 years later and Jonathan is still alive, celebrating his birthday. How exactly has he managed to survive for so long?
Jonathan is a giant tortoise and the world’s oldest known land animal. His genome has now been sequenced, revealing intriguing hints about longevity. And it seems the key to a long life is all down to mitochondrial function.
From Greenland Sharks to the enigmatic quahog, this also seems to be the case for Earth’s other longest-lived creatures - one of which survived for 507 years.&nbsp;
Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet discuss what these animals tell us about the science of healthy aging, whether there are any takeaways for us humans - and they celebrate the amazing life of Jonathan.
To read more about these stories, visit <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">https://www.newscientist.com</a>/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

Secrets of the World’s Longest-Lived Animals

The World, the Universe and Us

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews