Forget the Sorcerer’s Stone

Some species of cold-blooded reptiles may hold the key to immortality, per the most comprehensive study of longevity and aging in history, which was published in Science last week.

• Tl;dr: Some reptiles, like turtles, crocodiles, and salamanders, have biological mechanisms that slow down – or even completely switch off – aging.

📚 A little longer, did read… More than a hundred scientists examined 107 different wild populations covering 77 distinct species of reptiles and amphibians, in an attempt to figure out which characteristics are linked to long life.

• Of the 30 known vertebrate species that can survive past 100 years of age, 26 of them are ectotherms (aka cold-blooded), so researchers focused their efforts on those types of animals.
• Long story short: Being an ectotherm doesn’t necessarily guarantee long life – rather, it leads to either much longer or much shorter lifespans than warm-blooded animals with similar characteristics.
• The study also found a link between physical traits that protect species – like armor, spines, or shells – and a slower rate of slower aging, as well as a longer lifespan.

💬 Overheard… "It sounds dramatic to say that some species don't age at all, but basically their likelihood of dying does not change with age once they're past reproduction," said first author Beth Reinke, an evolutionary biologist at Northeastern Illinois University.

🔑 Zoom out: Scientists aren’t the only ones in search of the immortality key. A number of billionaires have poured money into life-prolonging and anti-aging research over the past decade, according to interviews, books and media reports; they include Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison, and Peter Thiel (but not Elon Musk).