Naked Mole Rats Break 'Law' of Aging Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Naked Mole Rats Break Law of Aging

They defy mortality norms for mammals researchers say

Other rats live to about age 6, but naked mole rats often live past age 30 and remain capable of reproducing up until the time they die. Frans Lanting/Mint Images/Getty Images Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. The finding is in defiance of what scientists call Gompertz’s law, which states that the risk of death grows exponentially after mammals reach sexual maturity. For example, in humans, the doubles every eight years after age 30. Not so for the naked mole rat. Other rats live to about age 6, but naked mole rats often live past 30 and remain capable of reproducing up until the time they die, the researchers noted. The mole rats also rarely suffer from cancer and show few other signs of aging. “This absence of hazard increase with age, in defiance of Gompertz’s law, uniquely identifies the naked mole rat as a nonaging mammal, confirming its status as an exceptional model for biogerontology,” the researchers wrote. In other words, the animals should be excellent models for studying the — ideally leading to insights into what can be done about it. “This life-history trend is unprecedented for mammals,” the researchers noted. The researchers, from Google-backed Calico Life Sciences, urged further study and cautioned against reading too much into their work at this point. They used more than 3,000 data points gathered over 35 years to analyze the lives of the animals. Whether this will lead to discoveries that could be applied to humans is speculative for now, but the research still has the attention of scientists. “To me, this is the most exciting data I’ve ever gotten,” comparative biologist Rochelle Buffenstein told the magazine Science. “It goes against everything we know in terms of mammalian biology.” AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS