Greenland Shark Study Links DNA Repair to 400-Year Lifespan

1 articles · Updated · Living On Earth · Jun 19

Eye tissue from 10 Greenland sharks showed intact cellular and molecular structures even in some animals about 150 years old, pointing to unusually active DNA repair genes.
Those genes may help the sharks’ eyes avoid normal age-related degradation, offering a possible explanation for how the species maintains tissue health over centuries.
Greenland sharks are considered the longest-living vertebrates; radiocarbon dating of eye lenses from bycaught sharks put one specimen at roughly 400 years old.
The species grows only about 1 centimeter a year and reaches sexual maturity near age 150, making its slow aging of interest for research into organ decline in humans.