A giant tortoise approaching his 195th birthday may hold the secret to a longer life after scientists discovered parts of his body appear far younger than his remarkable age.
uncertain
parts → approach → age
Jonathan, the world's oldest known living land animal, was born before Queen Victoria came to the throne and now spends his days on the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena.
asserted
Victoria → know → Helena
Now researchers have discovered signs that some of the biological machinery inside his cells appears remarkably youthful, despite his estimated age of 194.
asserted
some → discover → 194
The findings could help scientists investigate how some animals resist the effects of ageing, although further research is needed to establish what they might mean for humans.
And the beloved tortoise is still going strong after scammers falsely announced his death earlier this year in an apparent bid to solicit cryptocurrency donations.
uncertain
scammers → help → donations
Scientists sequenced Jonathan's genome, his complete set of genetic instructions, using DNA collected from a cheek swab by his vet, Dr Joe Hollins.
asserted
Scientists → sequence → vet
The results, published in the journal Science Advances, revealed genetic variants associated with repairing damaged DNA, regulating metabolism and protecting against cancer.
asserted
results → publish → cancer
But one of the most intriguing discoveries concerned his mitochondria, the tiny structures that supply cells with energy.
asserted
that → concern → energy
An account on X claimed Jonathan, the world's oldest known tortoise who even met the late Queen, has died aged 193, it has since been revealed as a hoaz.
asserted
it → claim → hoaz
His vet Joe Hollins, pictured left, told USA Today: ''Jonathan the tortoise is very much alive'
asserted
Jonathan → picture → Today
The current Duke of Edinburgh encountered the world's oldest living land animal back in 2024, crouching down to meet Jonathan as the tortoise stretched his neck to take a closer look
Declining mitochondrial function has been linked to ageing and age-related diseases.
asserted
function → encounter → ageing
Researchers examined chemical tags on Jonathan's DNA that help regulate how his genes behave, comparing them with those of other giant tortoises.
asserted
genes → examine → tortoises
While many of these patterns resembled those found in older animals, the patterns associated with mitochondrial function looked more like those of much younger tortoises.
asserted
patterns → resemble → tortoises
Stephen Clark, a researcher on the project at the non-profit Kallel Foundation, told the Guardian: 'His mitochondria must be especially stable and that's an insight into longevity in general.
asserted
that → tell → longevity
It's important that the mitochondria are kept as pristine as possible.'
asserted
mitochondria → keep → ?
Scientists have yet to establish whether these patterns help explain Jonathan's extraordinary lifespan, or how large a role they might play.
uncertain
they → have → role
The team also identified differences involving DNA repair and the maintenance of telomeres, the protective caps on chromosomes.
asserted
team → identify → chromosomes
DNA damage accumulates as organisms age, while telomeres become shorter, a process thought to contribute to ageing.
asserted
telomeres → accumulate → ageing
Jonathan also shares some genes with other long-lived species, including naked mole rats, which can live to 40 and rarely develop cancer.
asserted
which → share → cancer
Steve Horvath, a biologist who studies ageing at the University of California, Los Angeles, and an author of the study, told the New York Times: 'We almost never get to study an animal this old while it is still alive.'
asserted
it → study → animal
Obtaining Jonathan's DNA proved a delicate operation.
asserted
Obtaining → obtain → DNA
Dr Hollins had to hold his head with a thick welding glove and carefully prop open his sharp beak to swab the inside of his cheek.
asserted
Hollins → have → cheek
An initial attempt produced a sample covered in half-chewed carrot, one of the tortoise's favourite snacks.
Researchers were not allowed to take blood because of the risk of infection, and the saliva sample had to leave the island by boat.
Jonathan lives in the grounds of Plantation House, the official residence of St Helena's governor, around 1,200 miles off Africa's west coast.
His exact birth date is unknown, but he was already fully grown when he arrived on the island in 1882, suggesting he was at least 50.
The tortoise welcomed the future Queen Elizabeth II, as well as George VI and the Queen Mother, to the British overseas territory of St Helena in 1947, pictured
He was brought to St Helena from the Seychelles in the 1880s and lived on the grounds of Plantation House, the official residence of the island's Governor
That puts his estimated birth year at 1832, before Queen Victoria took the throne and before Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands.
asserted
Darwin → produce → Islands
In April, a fake account on X posing as Dr Hollins claimed Jonathan had died.
asserted
Jonathan → pose → Hollins
The post spread widely, but the real vet exposed the deception and said the account was asking for cryptocurrency donations.
asserted
account → spread → donations
St Helena's governor, Nigel Phillips, also checked on Jonathan after being contacted by the Guardian and found him asleep beneath a tree.
Despite cataracts and the loss of his sense of smell, Jonathan continues to enjoy life, retaining excellent hearing and a strong libido.
asserted
Jonathan → check → hearing
When Dr Hollins took over his care in 2009, the tortoise was struggling to forage and had a soft, crumbling beak.
asserted
tortoise → take → beak
Regular hand-feeding helped him regain weight and develop a hard beak within six months to a year.
asserted
him → help → year
Scientists caution that his protected surroundings, fresh vegetables and veterinary care could also help explain his exceptional age.
uncertain
surroundings → caution → age
But his biology offers promising avenues for further investigation.
asserted
biology → offer → investigation
Steve Austad, a biologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told the New York Times: 'Each of these long-lived species has some kind of special trick.
asserted
Each → tell → trick
And some of those may turn out to be relevant to human aging.'
uncertain
some → turn → aging
The Aporia
