Jonathan, the giant tortoise, is 198 years old. Here is his secret
Scientists have analyzed the genome and epigenome of Jonathan, a 194-year-old Aldabra giant tortoise, to understand his extreme longevity. The study identified unique gene variants related to DNA repair, inflammation reduction, and insulin regulation that contribute to his cellular resilience.
Why it matters
Understanding the genetic mechanisms behind extreme longevity in animals could provide a blueprint for developing new therapies to slow human aging and combat age-related diseases.
Jonathan is an Aldabra giant tortoise who lives at the residence of the governor of St Helena. He is 194 years old, the oldest living land animal on Earth today: the upper limit of the life expectancy for Aldabra tortoises is 93.68 years, making him some 100 years older than the typical upper lifespan limit for his species.
The longevity of Jonathan, who was likely a contemporary of Charles Darwin and Queen Victoria, has confounded scientists: but now the enigma may have been partly unravelled in a study published in Science Advances . It isn’t just “good genes” but his “epigenome” (chemicals and proteins that turn genes on or off), that keeps Jonathan youthful, scientists found.
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