Naked mole rats unique in defying death

What's the news: Naked mole rats have evolved the fountain of youth. I know this might sound sensationalist, but how else to interpret the latest data?

Why should we believe it: This news is based on a study pre-print, published a few days ago by scientists at Calico, the longevity startup inside Google's parent company Alphabet. These Calico scientists have been studying a population of 7,356 naked mole rats for decades. The scientists now have conclusive, long-running data to support some improbable claims:

• Naked mole rates are by far the longest lived rodent, with the longest-lived naked mole rat living for 37 years

• Naked mole rats have an average lifespan that's 5x longer than what we expect for mammals of the same size (among mammals, the bigger you are, the longer you are expected to live)

• Unlike virtually all other mammal species, which exhibit exponential increase in risk of death with age, naked mole rats display constant risk of dying — like a light bulb, they are no more likely to die tomorrow than today

• Naked mole rats display, as the scientists put it, "indefinite maintenance of many physiological characteristics that typically change with age"

The big question is: What makes naked mole rats different from virtually all other mammals? And how can the rest of us, who might not be naked, moles, or rats, get a little bit of that same longevity juice flowing through our veins? Scientists already have some answers.

For example, previous studies have shown that in naked mole rats, senescent cells do not harm surrounding tissues. Protein synthesis in naked mole rats stays in tact with age. The little guys are also very cancer resistant, and exhibit great DNA repair.

All these evolved characteristics point in different directions for treatments or interventions in humans as well. The goal for us is to create the same kind of death resistance, even as we accumulate chronological age.

You can bet that scientists at Calico and elsewhere are working on this opportunity right now. Keep reading Long Youthspan, because as these scientists hit upon their breakthroughs, I'll be sure to let you know all about it.