This 400-Year-Old Shark Could Wildly Change Anti-Aging Science

Little is actually known about this animal that lives in the deep cold waters of the North Atlantic, which is a dire situation according to Kevin Perrott, a scientist at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and co-founder of SENS Research Foundation. By failing to study these animals properly “we run the risk of forever losing the opportunity to study organisms with insight into humanity’s most pressing medical challenge, the aging process.”

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Shark Week Challenge Shark #3 Greenland Shark The Greenland Shark is one of the largest sharks in the world and is the largest Arctic fish. The glowing look to its eyes are caused by a bioluminescent creature called a copepod which attached itself to the shark's actual eye. These creatures also cause blindness in Greenland Sharks. GreenlNd sharks are typically lethargic and slow but can achieve small bursts of speed. They feed on basically anything and remains of reindeer and polar bear have been found inside of them. Greenland shark meat is also considered a delicacy in Iceland and Greenland although their flesh is poisonous and contains high levels of trimethylamjne oxide. Early settlers of these countries found ways around this by being buried for 6-12 weeks and going through a freeze and thaw process after which it is hung up to dry. The dish Is called Hakarl. #shark #sharkweek #sharkattack #sharkbite #sharkconservation #sharklover #sharksterritory #sharkweek2016 #sharkseeker #sharkweekeveryweek #sharkaddicts #sharkaholic #sharkafied #greenlandshark #hákarl #sharkconservation #sharkresearch #sharkresearchandconservation #savesharkslives #savesharksfromextinction

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The studies that have been done on Greenland sharks reveal that the creature, who grows less than a centimeter per year on average, “tells us that natural selection has successfully produced a species capable of avoiding or delaying diseases such as cancer or neurological disorders, for far longer time periods than humans are now capable of living,” according to Jay Olshansky, an expert on longevity and aging at the University of Chicago.

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Nothing makes me happier than seeing a Greenland shark swim away like this #wildlifecomputers #andorjaadventures #biologitromso #greenlandshark #extremefishing

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And though this may sound like a huge leap forward in turning back the aging clock, gerontologist and anti-aging expert Aubrey de Gray wants us to remember that sharks do not equal humans. “We must remember that … these sharks may not have any new tricks applicable to us, even though they outlive us by such a wide margin.” Not wanting to be a total buzzkill, he added, “But, they may! So we should definitely study them more.”

Would you want the ability to reverse the aging process or no thanks? Tweet us @britandco!

(h/t Gizmodo; photos via NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program/public domain)