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Researchers have sequenced the genome of Jonathan, an Aldabra giant tortoise estimated to be about 194 years old and described as the oldest living land animal. The study reports gene variants tied to several aging pathways and an unusually preserved pattern of mitochondrial methylation, but it does not establish that these features caused his longevity.
Jonathan, an Aldabra giant tortoise estimated to be about 194 years old and described as the oldest living land animal, has had his genome sequenced for the first time, according to research published in Science Advances. The researchers identified variants in genes associated with several aging processes and an unusually preserved mitochondrial methylation pattern, findings that may help guide further research but do not explain his lifespan on their own.
The team studied genetic material collected with cheek swabs, after deciding that drawing blood from the elderly tortoise could pose too much risk. Researchers compared Jonathan’s genome with those of other tortoises, including a 36-year-old named Tank. The study also examined methylation, chemical modifications that help regulate gene expression, in Jonathan and younger tortoises.
According to the study, Jonathan carries gene variants associated with DNA repair, telomere maintenance, insulin regulation, mitochondrial function and autophagy, the process by which cells recycle components. The researchers also found that the mitochondrial-related portion of his methylome had unusually low entropy, which Stephen Clark, an aging researcher at the Kallel Foundation and a study author, described as appearing especially well preserved.
Most of Jonathan’s genome showed age-related entropy, the report said, while this part of his methylome appeared closer to that of a five-year-old tortoise. The researchers regard the result as a lead for further study, not proof that a particular genetic feature accounts for Jonathan’s age. Clark said aging involves many interacting processes, and more research is needed to understand how the findings relate to lifespan.
What Jonathan’s Genome May Reveal
The study gives researchers a genetic and epigenetic profile of an animal whose estimated lifespan is far beyond what is typical even for its species. That makes Jonathan a potentially useful subject for investigating how long-lived animals maintain cellular processes, including DNA repair and mitochondrial function. The findings could help identify questions for future studies of aging in other animals.
Any possible relevance to human health remains indirect. Clark told 404 Media that his team hopes research on long-lived species may point to targets related to human healthspan and lifespan. The paper does not show that Jonathan’s variants can be applied to people, nor does it demonstrate a treatment or intervention that extends human life.
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From Seychelles to Saint Helena
Jonathan is an Aldabra giant tortoise believed to have hatched around 1832 in the Seychelles archipelago. In the 1880s, when he was already estimated to be in his fifties, he was taken to the remote South Atlantic island of Saint Helena with three other tortoises as a gift to the British colonial governor. He has lived there since, at Plantation House, the governor’s residence, according to the source report.
Aldabra giant tortoises can live for a century or more, but the report characterizes Jonathan as an exceptional case even among them. The effort to study him began years ago: Clark first contacted his caretakers in 2017. Sample collection and delivery took time because of concerns about how to obtain material safely, incomplete early samples, the Covid pandemic and new rules governing access to Jonathan. The eventual samples were transported from Saint Helena to Florida by the U.S. Space Force, the report said.
“Aging is very complicated, and there’s all these different hallmarks. That’s why this Jonathan study is so interesting. We’re still just at the very beginning of trying to understand aging.”
— Stephen Clark, aging researcher at the Kallel Foundation and a study author, speaking to 404 Media
What the Study Cannot Establish
The study does not show that any one gene variant or methylation pattern caused Jonathan to reach his estimated age. His exact hatch date is not known; around 1832 is an estimate, and the resulting age of about 194 is approximate. The source report describes him as the oldest living land animal, but the available account does not detail how that ranking was verified or how other animals were assessed.
The reported methylation finding also needs follow-up. Clark said further research is required to investigate the mitochondrial pattern and to untangle the genetic factors that may influence aging and lifespan. The study’s comparison across tortoises provides a research clue, not a forecast of how long another tortoise—or a person—might live.
Further Study of Aging Pathways
Researchers will need additional work to test whether the genetic variants and low-entropy mitochondrial methylation are consistently associated with exceptional longevity in tortoises or other long-lived species. The source report does not give a timetable for follow-up research. For now, Jonathan remains at Plantation House on Saint Helena, while the study’s results provide a starting point for investigating how aging-related processes operate across a lifespan.
Key Questions
How old is Jonathan?
He is estimated to be about 194, based on a believed hatch year of around 1832. His exact birth date is not known.
What did researchers discover in Jonathan’s genome?
The study reported variants associated with several aging pathways, including DNA repair, insulin regulation and mitochondrial function. Researchers also found an unusually low-entropy pattern in the mitochondrial-related part of his methylome.
Does the study explain why Jonathan has lived so long?
No. The findings point to possible biological clues, but the research does not establish that these features caused his longevity. The authors say further study is needed.
Where does Jonathan live?
Jonathan lives at Plantation House on Saint Helena, where he has been since being brought to the island in the 1880s.
Source: hn
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