The fountain of youth may be inherent in the DNA of an exceptional fish with the ability to stay out of the water for several life periods, according to a report published in the Daily Telegraph.
This small fish, called "Kilifish", is turquoise in color. It is native to Zimbabwe and Mozambique and inhabits shallow ponds prone to drought, which makes them in permanent movement most of the year.
But to overcome this problem, the embryos of this fish enter a state of latency, a stage during which living organisms pass and the metabolic activity stops completely or almost completely until the rain returns and its life resumes as if nothing happened.
And now scientists at Stanford University and the Stuers Institute for Medical Research in the United States have come to know how to do this, and they believe this method can help humans prevent aging, or even hibernation, that may be necessary on long flights to space.
A study of the DNA of kelevich fish has shown that the genes that lead to faster cell turnover slow down, as happens with them in the metabolism, while the genes involved in keeping muscles become more active.
Scientists are now working on whether activating the genes themselves in humans can prevent aging and disease in later life stages. Killevich lives for four to six months so she can complete her life cycle and spawn before the pond dries up.
"This work provides us with an opportunity to make progress in understanding this wonderful natural embodiment of the cumin phase of the vertebrate kelevich," says Dr. Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado, Scientific Director of the Stoires Institute.