We have been searching for the answer to make humans live longer. According to a new report, there are certain animals we can study, and understanding them may pave the way for us to extend our lifespan.
Studying Animals May Help Us Extend Our Lifespan
Senescence, the process of aging of the body and its systems, occurs due to several variables that affect human aging, including the progressive loss of our chromosomes and the body's ability to produce stem cells. Therefore, we need to figure out a solution to prevent these problems from occurring to outlive our limited human lifespans, Newsweek reported.
According to David Gems, a professor of biogerontology and aging at University College London in the U.K, there is no consensus among those who study aging as to what the causes of aging are. The notion that non-aging organisms are particularly adept at self-repair and that the accumulation of damage brings on aging has been around for a long time.
However, certain organisms may help us understand or discover the secret to a longer life, if not immortality.
The immortal jellyfish, or Turritopsis dohrnii, is one creature that seems to have an endless lifespan. This 0.18-inch-long jellyfish can regenerate into a genetically identical polyp, the first stage of its life, if it sustains physical damage, giving the impression that it will live forever.
According to the American Museum of Natural History, immortal jellyfish can survive harsh environments because they have a "reset button" that enables them to revert to an earlier development stage when injured or t threatened.
This is comparable to frogs having the ability to transform into tadpoles instantly. According to the American Museum of Natural History, the jellyfish can also do this when it is starving, which means that if it is not eaten, it can survive for a very long period.
Transdifferentiation, which occurs when a specialized body cell transforms into a different type of cell, is the mechanism underlying this Lazarus-like metamorphosis, an impossible act. This process has caught the attention of scientists as it could be applied to humans when replacing damaged cells due to diseases.
Animals Have Regenerative Abilities
Many other species, such as salamanders and axolotls, which can regenerate lost limbs after an injury, also exhibit body part regeneration. According to the NIH, some planarian flatworms may be split in half and instantly rebuild their whole bodies from both halves, producing two new worms.
There are about 35 phyla (groups) of animals on Earth, many of which can regenerate. Numerous members of these groupings are marine invertebrates with an extraordinary capacity for regeneration. Heather Marlow, an assistant professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago, told Newsweek that although there are many additional examples, some of the more well-known ones are sea anemones and flatworms.
Existing cells can be signaled to divide and differentiate into new tissues by dedifferentiating them. They can also do it by energizing a local stem cell population that reacts to signs of harm and separates to regenerate the missing tissues.
The fundamental principles of how these stem cell populations are maintained, how they are activated, and the genes they use to develop into the regenerated structures are crucial to investigate, even though it is unlikely that sea anemone or flatworm stem cells could be compared directly to a human stem cell.
The field of regenerative biology is very interested in understanding why and how salamanders can develop new limbs. Igor Schneider, an assistant professor of limb regeneration at Louisiana State University, stated that some people believe salamanders have special genes that aid regeneration.
Others, including himself, believe that salamanders use genes that we all have. However, they cannot currently coordinate the proper gene expression response that leads to regeneration.
Longevity and body part regeneration are independent phenomena that can evolve separately, even though there may be a correlation between the two, especially for organisms capable of whole-body regeneration. This means some species can live a long time but not regenerate their body appendages, like some sharks that survive centuries but can't regenerate their fins when bitten. Also, some can regrow their fins but don't live that long.
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