Jonathan isn't just a giant tortoise—he's the oldest land animal, at 194 years old. An international research team studied his genome to uncover the secrets of his longevity.
Jonathan was born around 1832 in the Seychelles and was transported in 1882 to Saint Helena, a tropical island in the South Atlantic that is a British overseas territory, as a gift to the governor. She weighs about 200 kilograms and lives with other giant tortoises on the grounds of the governor’s official residence on the island. Although she is blind due to cataracts, the tortoise retains excellent hearing.
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194-Year-Old tortoise: The genetic secrets of its longevity
Researchers took a small tissue sample from the inside of Jonathan’s cheek. The results of the analysis were published in the journal *Science Advances*.
The researchers argue that his longevity was due not only to good genes but also to the absence of genetic damage. They identified 287 unique genetic variants that limit the typical effects of aging. These variants control key bodily processes, such as DNA repair, reducing inflammation, regulating insulin, and suppressing cancer.
They also found that its “secret” appears to be linked to entropy—that is, the tendency of biological systems to become increasingly unstable and disorganized over time.
One of the hallmarks of aging is mitochondrial dysfunction, which results from increasing entropy. Despite his extremely advanced age, Jonathan appears to have largely avoided the effects of this disorganization.
To confirm all of the above, however, further studies will be needed using blood samples from Jonathan, which provide a more complete and “clean” DNA sequence. The researchers also plan to expand their research to other species with exceptionally long lifespans, as well as to other biological processes associated with aging.
Source: KYPE
