Telomere shortening rate predicts species life span
It is still unclear what causes aging and why some species can live for less than a day, while others live up to 400 years. Telomeres may be related to aging, but there is no clear correlation between telomeres and life expectancy. We measure the telomeres of several different species. In fact, we find no correlation between initial telomere size and life expectancy of a particular species. We find that there is a strong correlation in the shortening of the telomeres and the lifespan of a specie.
Telomeres that are shortened to a critical level can cause aging in humans and mice. This is due to a mechanism involving a persistent DNA-damage response at the chromosome end and a loss of cell viability. It is unknown whether telomere size is a universal predictor of species longevity. In order to determine if telomere shortening is a reliable parameter for predicting species longevity, we measured the telomeres of many species, both birds and mammals, with different body sizes and life spans. These species included mouse (Musculus), goats (Capra), Audouin gulls (Larus audouinii), Reindeer (Rangifer), griffons (Gyps), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops), The telomere-shortening rate is more powerful than the initial telomere size alone in predicting species longevity.
Source:
https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/07/02/1902452116
