#28 These rats don't age - here's why | Prof. Rochelle Buffenstein

About this episode

This episode explores the unique biology of the naked mole-rat and its implications for understanding aging and longevity.

Even though it’s undeniably...aesthetic-challenged, the naked mole-rat is the envy of the longevity world. Its risk of death barely changes with time; it shrugs off cancer, stays fertile for decades and seems to skip every hallmark of aging that hobbles the rest of us. But why? What evolutionary forces gave a mouse-sized, subterranean rodent near-immunity to aging - and what can its biology teach us about extending healthy human life? Comparative biologist Prof. Rochelle Buffenstein (University of Illinois Chicago) - who has maintained the world’s largest captive colonies and authored 200+ papers - joins LEVITY to dissect the evidence. In this episode ✅ Rochelle’s journey: from Zimbabwe farm kid to the pre-eminent naked mole-rat researcher. ✅ Eusocial society: queens, worker castes and lethal succession battles. ✅ No Gompertz slope: hard numbers that show mortality risk stays essentially flat for 40 years. ✅ Cancer resistance → high-molecular-weight hyaluronan, unusual immune cell profiles. ✅ Telomere maintenance and DNA-methylation reversal. ✅ Proteostasis on easy-mode: slow translation, durable proteins, super-charged autophagy. ✅ What actually kills a mole-rat? ✅ Translational…

People in this episode

Host: Peter Ottsjö

Guest: Prof. Rochelle Buffenstein

Topics covered

• longevity
• naked mole-rat
• aging
• cancer resistance
• comparative biology
• gerontology

Keywords

• naked mole-rat
• longevity
• aging
• cancer resistance
• comparative biology
• telomere maintenance
• proteostasis

Sponsors

Vitalism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Illinois Chicago

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