Animals’ lifespans can be far shorter or much longer than those of humans. Scientists are researching creatures such as “immortal” jellyfish and long-lived tortoises and digging deep into genetic codes to figure out why animals age—and what we can do to improve longevity in humans. João Pedro de Magalhães, chair of molecular biogerontology at the University of Birmingham in England, lays out the state of aging science.  

Recommended reading:

Follow de Magalhães’s lab:

https://rejuvenomicslab.com/

See our animal lifespan infographic:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-some-animals-live-for-only-days-and-others-live-for-thousands-of-years/ 

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Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Naeem Amarsy and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman. Our show is edited by Alex Sugiura with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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