September 24, 2024 – 10:39 AM
For a long time, researchers have been searching for the exact reason why the Greenland shark can live up to 400 years in a unique way in the world of biology, and now it seems they have found the explanation. com.bioRxiv According to a new study published in the journal
This species of shark has a huge genome: approximately 6.5 billion DNA base pairs, twice that of humans. According to the scientists, what is particularly interesting is that most of the genome consists of repeated genes. These repeated genes are called transposable elements, and they insert themselves into other genes and then copy themselves using a mechanism similar to copying and pasting a piece of text into a document. This can lead to various mutations, which means that Greenland sharks also have genetic parasites. This explains how their DNA can repair itself, and also explains the longevity of the organisms.
Greenland sharks live in the Arctic Ocean and its tributaries, as well as in the North Atlantic Ocean.
