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Experimental Research on the World’s Longest-Living Vertebrate Reveals New Anti-Aging Secrets

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Monday, August 5, 2024

Recent studies on the Greenland shark, the longest-living vertebrate, reveal that its stable muscle metabolic activity across different ages may be key to its extraordinary longevity. Led by Mr. Ewan Camplisson from the University of Manchester, the research not only challenges previous beliefs that attribute the shark’s lifespan to its cold environment and minimal movement but also opens potential avenues for conservation strategies and human cardiovascular research.New research suggests that stable muscle metabolism is crucial to the Greenland shark’s longevity, offering insights into conservation and human health.Recent experimental research indicates that muscle metabolic activity might play a crucial role in the exceptional longevity of the world’s oldest living vertebrate species, the Greenland shark. These insights could be valuable for conserving this vulnerable species amidst climate change and may also have implications for human cardiovascular health.Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) are the longest-living vertebrates with an expected lifespan of at least 270 years and a possible lifespan beyond 500 years. “We want to understand what adaptations they have that allow them to live so long,” says Mr Ewan Camplisson, a PhD student at the University of Manchester, UK.Previously it was thought that this long lifespan was due to the shark’s cold environment and minimal movement, but the factors behind this species’ extreme longevity appear to be far more complex – prompting Mr Camplisson and his team to investigate alternative theories. Metabolic Studies in Greenland Sharks“Most species show variation in their metabolism when they age,” says Mr Camplisson. “We want to determine if Greenland sharks also show this traditional sign of aging or if their metabolism remains unaltered over time.”To measure the metabolism of the sharks, Mr Camplisson and his team conducted enzyme assays on preserved muscle tissue samples from Greenland sharks. They measured the metabolic activity of these enzymes with a spectrophotometer across a range of different shark ages and environmental temperatures.Surprisingly, Mr Camplisson and his team found no significant variation in muscle metabolic activity across different ages, suggesting that their metabolism does not appear to decrease over time and may play a key role in their longevity. “This is quite different to most animals which tend to show some variation in their metabolic enzyme activity as they age,” he says. “The results support our hypothesis that the Greenland shark does not show the same traditional signs of aging as other animals.”Tissue collection from a Greenland shark. Credit: Ewan CamplissonThe results of this study also show that the Greenland shark’s metabolic enzymes were significantly more active at higher temperatures. “This would suggest that the shark’s red muscle metabolism is not specially adapted for the polar environment, otherwise we would have expected to see less of a temperature-related difference in activity,” says Mr Camplisson.In a world with a rapidly changing climate, long-lived species that are less able to adapt may be the most at risk of extinction. “A female Greenland shark may not become sexually mature until it is 150 years old and with such a long generation time, the species will have far less of a chance to adapt to anthropogenic changes in their environment,” says Mr Camplisson.Mr Camplisson plans to test more enzymes and tissue types to gain an even deeper understanding of the shark’s metabolic activity. “My ultimate goal is to protect the species and the best way to do this is to better understand them,” he says.Mr Camplisson is also interested in the possible applications of this research for our understanding of human heart disease. “By studying the Greenland shark and its heart, we may be able to better understand our own cardiovascular health,” he says. “These are issues that become progressively more common and severe with increasing age.”Meeting: SEB Annual Conference 2024

New research suggests that stable muscle metabolism is crucial to the Greenland shark’s longevity, offering insights into conservation and human health. Recent experimental research indicates...

Greenland Shark

Recent studies on the Greenland shark, the longest-living vertebrate, reveal that its stable muscle metabolic activity across different ages may be key to its extraordinary longevity. Led by Mr. Ewan Camplisson from the University of Manchester, the research not only challenges previous beliefs that attribute the shark’s lifespan to its cold environment and minimal movement but also opens potential avenues for conservation strategies and human cardiovascular research.

New research suggests that stable muscle metabolism is crucial to the Greenland shark’s longevity, offering insights into conservation and human health.

Recent experimental research indicates that muscle metabolic activity might play a crucial role in the exceptional longevity of the world’s oldest living vertebrate species, the Greenland shark. These insights could be valuable for conserving this vulnerable species amidst climate change and may also have implications for human cardiovascular health.

Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) are the longest-living vertebrates with an expected lifespan of at least 270 years and a possible lifespan beyond 500 years. “We want to understand what adaptations they have that allow them to live so long,” says Mr Ewan Camplisson, a PhD student at the University of Manchester, UK.

Previously it was thought that this long lifespan was due to the shark’s cold environment and minimal movement, but the factors behind this species’ extreme longevity appear to be far more complex – prompting Mr Camplisson and his team to investigate alternative theories.

Metabolic Studies in Greenland Sharks

“Most species show variation in their metabolism when they age,” says Mr Camplisson. “We want to determine if Greenland sharks also show this traditional sign of aging or if their metabolism remains unaltered over time.”

To measure the metabolism of the sharks, Mr Camplisson and his team conducted enzyme assays on preserved muscle tissue samples from Greenland sharks. They measured the metabolic activity of these enzymes with a spectrophotometer across a range of different shark ages and environmental temperatures.

Surprisingly, Mr Camplisson and his team found no significant variation in muscle metabolic activity across different ages, suggesting that their metabolism does not appear to decrease over time and may play a key role in their longevity. “This is quite different to most animals which tend to show some variation in their metabolic enzyme activity as they age,” he says. “The results support our hypothesis that the Greenland shark does not show the same traditional signs of aging as other animals.”

Tissue Collection From a Greenland Shark

Tissue collection from a Greenland shark. Credit: Ewan Camplisson

The results of this study also show that the Greenland shark’s metabolic enzymes were significantly more active at higher temperatures. “This would suggest that the shark’s red muscle metabolism is not specially adapted for the polar environment, otherwise we would have expected to see less of a temperature-related difference in activity,” says Mr Camplisson.

In a world with a rapidly changing climate, long-lived species that are less able to adapt may be the most at risk of extinction. “A female Greenland shark may not become sexually mature until it is 150 years old and with such a long generation time, the species will have far less of a chance to adapt to anthropogenic changes in their environment,” says Mr Camplisson.

Mr Camplisson plans to test more enzymes and tissue types to gain an even deeper understanding of the shark’s metabolic activity. “My ultimate goal is to protect the species and the best way to do this is to better understand them,” he says.

Mr Camplisson is also interested in the possible applications of this research for our understanding of human heart disease. “By studying the Greenland shark and its heart, we may be able to better understand our own cardiovascular health,” he says. “These are issues that become progressively more common and severe with increasing age.”

Meeting: SEB Annual Conference 2024

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PG&E will also need a final nod from the Regional Water Quality Control Board, which decides on a pollution discharge permit in February.The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission will also have to sign off on Diablo’s extension.

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MP calls for ban on ‘biobeads’ at sewage works after devastating Camber Sands spillage

Exclusive: Use of toxic plastic beads in treatment works is unnecessary and outdated say conservationists after hundreds of millions wash up on beachThe use of tiny, toxic plastic beads at sewage works should be banned nationwide, an MP and wildlife experts have said after a devastating spill at an internationally important nature reserve.Hundreds of millions of “biobeads” washed up on Camber Sands beach in East Sussex last month, after a failure at a Southern Water sewage treatment works caused a catastrophic spill. This caused distress and alarm for local residents and conservationists, as not only are the beads unsightly, but they pose a deadly threat to wildlife. Continue reading...

The use of tiny, toxic plastic beads at sewage works should be banned nationwide, an MP and wildlife experts have said after a devastating spill at an internationally important nature reserve.Hundreds of millions of “biobeads” washed up on Camber Sands beach in East Sussex last month, after a failure at a Southern Water sewage treatment works caused a catastrophic spill. This caused distress and alarm for local residents and conservationists, as not only are the beads unsightly, but they pose a deadly threat to wildlife.Scientists at Kings’ College London tested the beads and found they contained heavy metals including lead and arsenic.The local Labour MP, Helena Dollimore, is on Thursday launching a campaign with the Wildlife Trusts to get the use of these beads banned for good. There is no record held by the government or the regulator of how many water plants use these beads, the condition of the containers holding them, or the risk posed to the beaches near where they are kept.Campaigners will gather at Rye harbour nature reserve, an internationally important habitat for rare wading birds, to call for the beads to be banned.Research by the Guardian found at least 15 treatment works using these beads, all situated around the south and south-west coast of England. These plants are older, mostly built in the 1990s and early 2000s. They use billions of floating plastic beads to create layers of biofilm, bacteria that purify water, which are separated from the environment by a mesh screen. Recent technological advances mean that water can now be purified using electric currents, and using fixed surfaces made of ceramic or concrete. There are similar but more costly products made of glass, which is less harmful to the environment.Dollimore, who is the Labour and Co-operative MP for Hastings, Rye, said: “A month ago I wasn’t aware that these plastic beads were used in local wastewater plants until 320m washed up on our beaches and nature reserve, causing an environmental catastrophe. The use of beads is an outdated technology and better modern methods exist. So why are water companies still using them in coastal plants – the very place they could do most damage? We’re calling for them to bin the beads.”A spade-full of biobeads collected on Camber Sands. Photograph: Anna McGrath/The GuardianThese beads contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which have been linked to cancer. They often contain toxins including lead, antimony and bromine. Once in the sea, they attract algae, making them smell like food to sea creatures, which then ingest them and can be poisoned.The local Wildlife Trust has been struggling to deal with the spillage. Conservationists have been working tirelessly to remove the beads, which has been difficult as they are embedded in fragile habitats including the saltmarsh and in the shingle. The trust said it would be ordering autopsies of dead birds found, to see if the beads were a cause of death. The nature reserve is loved by birds such as Wigeon ducks because of the plentiful seeds found in the muddy flats; but these are identical in size to the bio-beads, so it is likely they will be ingested.Henri Brocklebank, director of conservation at the Sussex Wildlife Trust, said: “Rye harbour nature reserve is internationally important for its birds, with species travelling thousands of miles to feed and breed here. Bio-beads are small and buoyant, not dissimilar to many of the food items these birds are searching for. The impact of bioplastics accumulating in the digestive systems is well documented, but the effects of any contaminants that could be released in the acidic gut systems of these birds are far less understood. The removal of the bio-beads from the environment is paramount, but I fear that our grandchildren will still be finding them in years to come.“There is only one way to guarantee that we never have a spill of bio-beads again. That is to stop our wastewater treatment works from using them. They are an old and redundant technology and we must see their use ended swiftly.”Water minister Emma Hardy has written to water companies to find out the extent of their use of beads. The Environment Agency continues to investigate Southern Water after the spillage on Camber Sands.Southern Water apologised for the spill and said it was unable to comment on third-party testing.Defra has been contacted for comment.

Conservation
Nature
Water

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