SCIENTISTS DELVES INTO THE SECRET OF THE GREENLAND SHARK ANTI AGEING MYSTERY
All living things appear to go through the process of ageing, though not in the same ways. The oldest dog and cat alive are currently 24 and 28, respectively, while the oldest living person is 117 years old. Certain animals, like tortoises and parrots, can live for several decades; some species, like the Galapagos tortoise, can easily outlive humans. However, no other animal has achieved the graceful longevity of the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus), popularly referred to as the grey or gurry shark. These massive, sluggish Arctic reclusive creatures have a 500-year lifespan. Researchers continue to strive to unlock the mysteries of this extended lifespan to gain a deeper understanding of the species and biological ageing processes.
One of the biggest shark species is the Greenland shark, a type of sleeper shark. Its impressive length reaches up to 23 feet, and its weight is approximately 1.5 tons. It can travel to other areas, but it usually lives in the cold, deep waters of the Arctic. It is a vicious predator, but it moves slowly and takes its time scavenging. The enormous creatures are classified as weak. The fact that they only reach sexual maturity at the age of 150, coupled with their extraordinarily slow gestation period of eighteen to eighteen years, does little to encourage confidence in their ability to rebound.
How come it takes so long to reproduce everything? The longest-living vertebrate, the Greenland shark, sets records for life expectancy, so that explains the longer period. Although researchers are still figuring out how long this species can live, radiocarbon dating of one person's eyes revealed a range of potential birthdates between 1504 and 1744. This shark existed before the American Revolution and might have existed during the times of Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I.
The reason these sharks live for such a long time is still a mystery to scientists, but metabolism might be involved. According to recent research, sharks' metabolisms do not appear to slow down in the same manner as those of ageing humans. enzyme activity preservers, indicating that they might be able to withstand ageing's slowing down. Scientist Ewan Camplisson, a doctoral student at the University of Manchester, said, "My best guess would be that the deep waters of the Arctic can be a challenging environment to live in, where an animal such as the Greenland shark may not have consistent access to plenty of food, and they may not frequently be in contact with other Greenland sharks." Because they are a species with low natural mortality rates, the best course of action for them would be to grow slowly and store energy so that they can reproduce when they do interact with members of the opposite sex.
"I believe that if we can work out how the Greenland shark lives so long and how they seem to be so resilient to age-related diseases (such as cardiac disease), we may be able to improve the quality of life within the elderly human population.”