Theoretically, hairless moles can be immortal

Nothing exists forever, but somewhere in nature there is still a list of biologically immortal creatures; They are creatures possessing special cells, growth mechanisms unlike those in the body such as jellyfish, lobster, an evergreen species of the pine family, named pine pine bristlecone .

The new study, published in eLife, provides us with evidence of another creature worthy of being named on the list, a hairy rodent rat.

Scientists at Calico, a research facility 'under' Google's parent company Alphabet, have analyzed 3,000 hairless rodents for years. Having obtained detailed results for a mouse's life cycle, they created a model of the mortality rate of an individual at any given time. 

It is true that mice often 'suddenly' die, but researchers have found no indication that the older the number of moles, the more likely it is to die. At the end of the experiment, a mouse was 30 years old.

Comparing this result with common observations, we recognize the difference. When living in the same captive area, rodent creatures of similar body size will live for about 6 years; yet the hairless rat in Calico's experiment could live five times that age. And yet, a 6-year-old mouse will show signs of aging and loss of fertility. Meanwhile, hairless female moles of older females can still give birth.

' This is the first mammal in the mammals to show no signs of death appearing as they age ,' new research author Rochelle Buffenstein told Gizmodo. Scientists have confirmed that there are long-lived rodents, but this is the first time a research report based on experiments with large numbers of individuals.

Hairless moles live underground, in a tunnel system that can dig up to hundreds of individuals; In the mouse community, only a few males and females are responsible for reproduction. According to Professor Buffenstein, the females who are responsible for maintaining the breed also carry lower mortality than other mice. This leaves the hairless rat against the hypothesis that living creatures possess only a finite amount of energy to use for essential biological tasks, such as reproduction.

In the 30-year study, only 400 individuals of the mole died naturally. ' We see rats dying of dental disease, kidney disease or when the muscle bundles of mice are gone , but these fatal factors can occur at any age, ' Professor Buffenstein said. Rarely did the number of moles in the study develop age-related diseases such as cancer, and the behavior of the mice remained unchanged as they got older.

From these, the team could make the claim: hairless moles can be biologically immortal if they avoid injury and disease. However, the scientists added that there may be an upper limit to the age of hairless moles, something we haven't seen.

The oldest individual, reaching 35 years of age, is a male mouse responsible for reproduction. The team of researchers will continue to monitor for as long as possible. Many researchers have also experimented, seeking to explain the biological mechanism behind the 'forever young' in these mice.