Burkhard Rost

Epigenetic insights into extreme longevity in the world’s oldest terrestrial animal, Jonathan

Aldabra giant tortoises ( Aldabrachelys gigantea ) are exceptionally long-lived. We sequenced the genome and methylome of Jonathan, a 194-year-old Aldabra, to explore the molecular basis of his longevity. Relative to other giant tortoises ( A. gigantea and Chelonoidis abingdonii...