Scientists have finally uncovered the secret of why Greenland sharks live as long as 500 years

New research has revealed why the Greenland shark lives longer than any other vertebrate animal. Its life expectancy is 500 years.

Scientists have found that Greenland sharks can live for hundreds of years due to their constant metabolism. This surprising discovery contradicts previous assumptions of scientists and may have serious implications for the adaptation of these animals to climate change, writes LiveScience.

The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) has an average lifespan of about 250 years, but can live for over 500 years. This makes it the longest-lived vertebrate creature in the world. According to scientists, these sharks live in the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans at depths of up to 2,647 meters.

It is still difficult to determine the reasons for the longevity of these predators. Researchers have suggested that the longevity of Greenland sharks is related to the very cold environment in which they live. They can survive in waters with sub-zero temperatures.

But a new study suggests that the longevity of Greenland sharks may be linked to their metabolic activity, which does not change over time as it does in other animals.

"This study is important to us because it shows that sharks do not show traditional signs of aging," said the study's lead author, University of Manchester doctoral student Ewan Camplisson.

According to science, metabolism is a chemical process in which enzymes break down nutrients into energy and processes that use that energy to build and repair tissues. In most animals, the metabolic rate slows down over time. This results in decreased energy production, slower cell repair and regeneration, and a depressed ability to remove cellular waste products that can cause further cellular damage.

To measure the sharks' metabolism, researchers took tissue samples from the muscles of 23 Greenland sharks caught on the south coast of Disko Island in central Greenland. The team then measured the activity of five different enzymes in the samples to determine metabolic rates and responses to different environmental temperatures.

The researchers then calculated the age of each shark by measuring body length. They found that the sharks ranged in age from 60 to 200 years old. When they compared the enzyme activity of the sharks, they found that there was no variation between the different age groups.

"In most animals, you would expect some enzymes to decrease in activity over time as they degrade and become less efficient. But this is not the case for Greenland sharks," Ewan Camplisson said.

The stable metabolism over the age of Greenland sharks indicates that they do not degenerate like other animals. This is probably the reason for their long lifespan.

The tests also showed that all enzymes had "significantly higher" activity at high temperatures. We wanted to investigate whether the Greenland shark enzymes were specifically adapted to work more efficiently in cold conditions, but we did not see such a trend. The higher activity in warm conditions suggests that if these sharks were settled in a warmer environment, their metabolism would increase significantly, which would probably change their lifestyle," added Camplisson.

Scientists predict sea surface temperatures will rise from 1.2 degrees C to 3.2 before 2100 due to global warming.

Ewan Camplisson hopes to test more characteristic signs of aging in sharks and further investigate their metabolism. To better understand how to protect these predators as global warming affects the environment.

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