Story perspectives

Greenland Shark Clocked at 392 Years, Anti-Aging Genes Found

6/21/2026

Summary

Story summary

Swiss researchers at the University of Basel dated a Greenland shark’s eye-lens nucleus with radiocarbon using the 1950s carbon-14 spike and estimated its age at 392 years, the longest-lived vertebrate.
The team found DNA-repair genes that keep eye tissue intact, a discovery they say could help treat aging human organs.
Because the shark matures near 150 years and reproduces slowly, its population remains vulnerable to bycatch and historic oil-extraction hunting.

1 of 1

Story summary

Swiss researchers at the University of Basel dated a Greenland shark’s eye-lens nucleus with radiocarbon using the 1950s carbon-14 spike and estimated its age at 392 years, the longest-lived vertebrate.
The team found DNA-repair genes that keep eye tissue intact, a discovery they say could help treat aging human organs.
Because the shark matures near 150 years and reproduces slowly, its population remains vulnerable to bycatch and historic oil-extraction hunting.