Unless of course, your another naked mole rat looking for your mate.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if every human could delay a low quality of life until the very end of days . Well, if you happen to be The Naked Mole, morbidity is compacted till the final day(s).

A mouse, with a similar body size normally lives about 3 plus years. Naked moles have a lifespan of 30 years.

The rodent is found around Kenya, Africa. So what allows it to live so much longer than a mouse with a high quality of life till right before it passes from this world?

The simple answer is proteasome. It is a protein that cuts up abnormal proteins like a scissor cuts up paper. In humans, abnormal proteins are causes of aging that could result in diseases like Alzheimer’s. If we could figure out a way, to constantly degrade/get rid of  abnormal proteins as we age, diseases like Alzheimer’s and other brain dementia could be prevented.

The amazing thing about the naked mole is their ability to label an abnormal protein and break it up before it causes any damage. Then it actually recycles these protein pieces back into new normal proteins.

We have proteasomes just like the naked mole, but their activity in our bodies decline with age. This decline is part of our aging process. When we actually need more, our bodies produce less and therefore aging accelerates.

Using these rodents as an example, researchers are trying to find ways to mimic what is happening with their protective mechanisms to utilize in higher organisms.

What lies within a naked mole’s body, may ultimately reveal its innermost beauty of aging gracefully in humans. Don’t judge this book by its cover, because the finale may close in on the fountain of youth.

Categories: Health