Long-lived species share three ageing mechanisms

Consider an 80,000-year-old tree, a naked mole rat that rarely develops cancer, or a jellyfish that appears to reset its own life cycle. Ageing unfolds very differently in such organisms compared to humans. But what mechanisms underlie this, and do they tell us anything about how we age?

Researchers analysed 101 species that live longer than 250 years. Ninety of them are plants; eleven are animals. They examined genetic, proteomic, and metabolic characteristics, both at the species level (why does one species outlive another?) and at the individual level (why does one member of a species outlive a companion?). The results were published in the journal Aging.

Three shared mechanisms

According to the research, three processes characterise both inter- and intraspecific lifespan variation: DNA maintenance (the ability of cells to detect and repair genetic damage), stem cell activity (the preservation of cells that can renew tissues), and stress management (the capacity to withstand damaging conditions such as heat, oxidation, or oxygen deprivation).

Notably, the same mechanisms are also active during early developmental stages and in germ cells, the cells that pass genetic material to future generations. The researchers suggest this is not coincidental: species that live longer appear to retain certain developmental characteristics for extended periods.

Caution with conclusions

The researchers are explicitly cautious. Available molecular data across thousands of individuals from long-lived species remain limited. Methods vary considerably between studies. And the interplay between physiology and environment is still poorly understood. It is therefore not yet possible to quantify the precise contribution of each mechanism.

From a longevity perspective, this is interesting material. If DNA repair, stem cell function, and stress resilience are shared features of long-lived organisms, they are potentially relevant targets for research into human ageing. But translating findings from long-lived plants and animals to human biology requires substantial further work.

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