Jonathan the giant tortoise, 194, offers up insight into secrets of longevity
Jonathan, a giant tortoise living in the grounds of the governor's residence on Saint Helena, is believed to be 194 years old, making him a contemporary of Charles Darwin and Queen Victoria. Scientists who read his genetic code found variants in most of the ageing pathways so far discovered, variants that help organisms repair damaged DNA, regulate metabolism and fend off cancer. What intrigued the researchers more were chemical patterns on his genes that appear to protect his mitochondria, the tiny battery-like structures that power cells, because ailing mitochondria are strongly tied to ageing and age-related disease. One senior researcher on the project says the animal offers a rare window on what happens to a body over a very long stretch of time.
For you: Nothing to act on yet, but worth knowing that the longest-lived land animal's genes point at DNA repair and mitochondrial upkeep as the places ageing research is looking.
What it shows: Reported by Guardian (science) and not verified by us: we could not trace this story to a published paper, so treat it as news rather than evidence we have checked.