Long-lived lemurs could hold secret to human aging

March 31, 2015

Jonas, the world's oldest known dwarf lemur, died this January just months shy of his 30th birthday. Duke researchers are using lemurs like Jonas to study the biology of aging. (Credit: Photo by David Haring, Duke Lemur Center)

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com @BednarChuck

Conventional wisdom indicates that larger species live longer than smaller ones, but lemurs are on notable exception to that rule, and researchers from Duke University believe that the secrets of their longevity could lead to new insights into the aging process.

In January, the worlds oldest known dwarf lemur, Jonas, passed away, and inspired Sarah Zehr and Marina Blanco of the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina to analyze over 50 years worth of medical records pertaining to his species and three other types of lemurs.

Suspended animation, suspended life

Dwarf lemurs live two to three times longer than similar-sized animals, they explained, and the duo was searching for clues to help explain their longevity. They found that these hamster-sized creatures are actually capable of placing their bodies in suspended animation to prevent aging.

How long the animals live and how quickly they age directly correlates with the amount of time they spend in this state, which is known as torpor and is comparable to the standby or sleep mode feature found in many modern electronic devices. Lemurs that enter this state and put their body functions on hold can outlive those that dont by up to 10 years, the data revealed.

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Jonas was one of the most extreme examples found in the study, the researchers said. While in the wild, he spent up to half the year in this state of deep hibernation. Most dwarf lemurs go into a semi-hibernation state for no more than three months in captivity, Zehr said, but that was still enough to give them added longevity.

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Long-lived lemurs could hold secret to human aging