Turtles Can Slow Down Aging, Experts Begin To Understand Why

KOMPAS.com – All living organisms age and die. But not all beings experience the same pattern of aging before death finally picks them up.

For example, what happens to animals like kura-kura, turtles, salamanders, and crocodiles. These animals have very low aging rates and longer life spans for their size.

The proof alone, at the age of 190 years, kura-kura raksasa Jonathan the Seychelles is considered the oldest living land animal in the world.

By studying these animals, the researchers hope to gain insights that can provide information about treatments and drugs for human age-related conditions.

Also read: This Giant Tortoise Was Thought To Be Extinct 100 Years Ago, Researchers Find It’s Still Alive

In his study, as quoted from Science FocusFriday (24/6/2022) researchers found that turtles experience what is referred to as ‘negligible aging’, where their bodies do not age at all with age.

This didn’t mean they were immortal, just that their chances of dying were unrelated to their age. Unlike in humans, where the probability of death increases with age.

“Negligible aging means that if an animal’s chance of dying in a year is 1 percent at 10 years old, it will be the same as when an animal lives at 100 years old, its still a 1 percent chance of dying,” said Professor David Miller, author of the study.

The team also found that animals with innate physical or chemical protections such as hard shells, pointed spines, or venom-infested bites, aged more slowly and lived longer than animals that did not.

“These protective mechanisms can reduce mortality because they are not eaten by other animals. As a result, the chances of living longer are higher,” the authors wrote in their study.

Since these features affect an animal’s chances of survival, they will likely also have an effect on how the species evolved.

However, these animals cannot always protect against threats such as climate change and habitat loss. Especially if they have a slow pace of life.

“Long-lived species take a long time to mature. For example turtles need to survive a decade or more just to reach the age at which they can first reproduce,” explains Miller.

Also read: Baby Albino Tortoise Born in Switzerland, This Is What It Looks Like

However, the longevity of animals can have advantages, for example helping them survive and overcome challenges such as food availability. Take, for example, one species that slows down its growth rate in times of trouble.

“This allows them to overcome environmental challenges by taking a break from reproduction until conditions get better,” Miller said.

Furthermore, understanding the evolution and impact of protective properties in animals can bring us closer to understanding aging in humans and lead to new treatments and drugs for diseases related to human aging.

“We believe that turtles and other slowly aging reptiles can serve as models for learning about the physiological and genetic processes that underlie aging in all animals,” Miller said.

“Kura-kura and some of the long-lived reptiles we studied, such as the tuatara and the crocodile, share some characteristics in common with humans.”

The findings were published in the journal Science.

Also read: Revealed, Galapagos Tortoise Live Long and Live Without Cancer

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