A team of scientists from Tongji University in Shanghai has managed to decode part of the secret behind the extraordinary longevity of naked mole rats — one of the most unusual and resilient animal species on the planet. In a study published in Science, researchers discovered that just four microscopic genetic changes enable the cells of these rodents to regenerate and resist diseases that affect other mammals.
The key lies in the enzyme cGAS, which in humans responds to DNA damage by triggering inflammation and cell death. In naked mole rats, however, four amino acid substitutions transform this enzyme into a DNA repair activator rather than a cell destruction alarm. The result is a system that repairs damage more effectively and almost eliminates cellular aging.
Naked mole rats can live up to 40 years, making them the longest-lived rodents in the world, and their risk of death does not increase with age — a remarkable biological anomaly.
When scientists introduced the mole rat version of cGAS into fruit flies, their average lifespan increased by 25%, suggesting that the effect could potentially be transferable to other species.
This discovery could redefine how we understand aging — not as an inevitable process of decline, but as a molecular mechanism that can be slowed or even reversed.
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