Whales, Rats, Salamanders, and Immortality

Phil and Stephen discuss three animals who might well show us how to live longer and healthier lives.

Secrets of these 200-year-old whales who avoid cancer

Why the bowhead whale lives 200 years and rarely gets cancer.

Naked mole rats defy the biological law of aging

In the world of animal models, naked mole rats are the supermodels. They rarely get cancer, are resistant to some types of pain, and can survive up to 18 minutes without oxygen. But perhaps their greatest feat, a new paper suggests, is that they don't age.”

Google’s Calico Labs announces discovery of a “non-aging mammal.”

In the first significant announcement since it was formed in 2013, Calico Labs researchers Rochelle Buffenstein, Megan Smith, and J. Graham Ruby announce that the naked mole rat is a “non-aging mammal.”

Axolotl genome sequenced, revealing regeneration genes

If you lose an arm or a leg, there's a whole range of advanced prosthetics to give you some functionality back. But we might not need any artificial help in the long run if research into limb regeneration bears fruit. Scientists have now sequenced the genome of the Mexican axolotl, and have identified a few key genes hidden amongst its extremely complex genetic blueprint.

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Eternity Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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