BPoD has moved!

BPoD has recently changed our domain name - we can now be found at bpod.org.uk

Please update your bookmarks!

Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Turning Back Time

Telomeres – the chromosome end sequences associated with ageing – don't shorten in exceptionally long-lived bats

05 April 2019

Turning Back Time

With ageing populations and the increasing prevalence of age-related diseases, understanding how to stay healthy as we get older is critical. Inspiration could come from bats, which have an extraordinarily long lifespan for their body size. Brandt’s bats (Myotis brandtii, pictured) can live for over 40 years, nearly 10 times longer than expected for a mammal weighing only 7 grams. Key to the ageing process are telomeres, protective DNA repeats at the ends of chromosomes; in humans and most animals, these are progressively lost as cells replicate, ultimately causing cell death. By contrast, in Myotis bats, telomeres do not shorten with age. Moreover, while the enzyme telomerase protects telomeres in stem cells and many cancers, allowing cells to keep replicating, another mechanism is at work in these bats. Several genes associated with DNA repair may be involved, and could prove to be interesting targets for future research on ageing.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.