A Sternotherus odoratus (common musk turtle) with a healthy algae cap
According to Guinness World Records, The Seychelles giant tortoise was estimated to have been born in 1832, which means it will be a full year old sometime in 2022 Or will turn 190 years old.
It is currently "the oldest living land animal in the world", and it seems that is still at the peak of its life.
Compared with humans, who will start to show signs of aging in their 30s, the longevity of this kind of ghost is simply unbelievable.
Aging is a process that gradually worsens with age and the loss of cells’ ability to divide and grow. The hypothesis that there is slow or even negligible aging between turtles and tortoises has long been held.
Now, in two studies published in the journal SCIENCE, researchers have investigated the aging process in cold-blooded quadrupeds. They found that in several sea turtle species, there was little evidence of physical aging.
According to biologist Rita da Silva, this means that aging is inevitable for all living things.
Species that continue to grow after reaching reproductive maturity, such as sea turtles and tortoises, are prime candidates for escaping aging.
Average aging rates of two species of turtle used for comparison: a tortoise and a human. Red turtle and tortoise icons represent females, blue icons represent males.
Fernando Colchero, associate professor at the University of Southern Denmark, said: "I think as humans we have a deep obsession with aging. The cool part about the study is that it confirms what has long been known about sea turtles. and tortoises, opening the door to reconsidering evolutionary theories of aging to explain patterns in species not closely related to humans."
Together, the two studies investigated these closely related species. Effects and patterns of aging in related species, which differ significantly in their rates of aging, although some basic similarities exist. Steven Austad of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Southern California of Caleb Finch wrote: "We may learn something new about human aging through research."
In an analysis, Northeastern Beth Rinke of the University of Illinois / Pennsylvania State University and colleagues conducted a comparative study of aging rates and lifespans in wild, cold-blooded tetrapods.
They used long-term field study data from 107 wild populations of 77 species, including sea turtles, amphibians, snakes, crocodiles and tortoises. They assessed how factors such as thermoregulatory patterns, environmental temperature, protective adaptations and pace of life contribute to body aging.
The researchers found greater differences in aging rates among the study groups than in birds and mammals. The lifespan of cold-blooded animals ranges from 1 to 137 years. In comparison, primates live between 4 and 84 years.
Few signs of aging have been found in many species of turtles, some salamanders and tuatara. In the case of sea turtles, features such as bony shells and a relatively slow pace of life help explain the negligible aging.
In a separate analysis, Da Silva and colleagues examined changes in mortality rates with age in captive animals, focusing on 52 species of sea turtles, terrapins, and tortoises in zoo and aquarium populations.
She found that of 52 species, 75 percent aged extremely slowly, and 80 percent of them aged more slowly than modern humans.
Their research found that their aging patterns differ from those of humans or other animals. Most species age slowly, and in some cases their aging appears to be negligible.
This is particularly interesting because researchers have found that some species of turtles and tortoises may experience reduced physical aging in response to more ideal environmental conditions.As the "facilities" around them improve, they can allocate more energy to cell repair rather than protecting themselves or finding food, thus extending their lifespan.
However, studies of humans and non-human primates show that improving living conditions does not change the rate of aging to a large extent. In other words, more people are reaching old age, but the maximum possible life span is not improving.
Among primates, infants and adolescents are most vulnerable to environmental changes and causes of death unrelated to age, such as predation or extreme environmental conditions.
The difference is that sea turtles age at a much slower rate than humans, and when environmental conditions improve, they can significantly reduce their aging rate. But so far, there's no evidence that humans or any other primates can do this.
Perhaps when the level of human science and technology can clarify the relationship, then human life span will be greatly improved.
(Internet image intrusion and deletion)
