Apparently, axolotls are capable of far more than just regenerating lost limbs. In fact, these amphibians appear to be able to stop aging completely, putting a pause on their biological clocks. This discovery is highlighted in a new study currently published on the preprint server bioRxiv.
While the study’s insights have yet to be peer-reviewed, it does raise some questions about the overall nature of axolotls and whether or not they actually age at all. That’s because epigenetically, old and young axolotls do not seem to have any actual differences.
In fact, research into these amphibians seems to show that there is no correlation between the epigenetic age and chronological age of axolotls. As such, scientists have been trying to dig deeper to understand these creatures and the effect that aging has on them. And, even with a high number of samples, researchers have failed to truly understand how axolotls stop aging.
What makes all of this even more confusing is the fact that axolotls actually live shorter lives than other salamanders. They tend to only live to around 13 years of age, based on the research that scientists have conducted on them. Because of their shorter lifespan, axolotls have been a prime candidate for researchers trying to understand epigenetic clocks and the part they play in aging.
You might think that limb regeneration would cause axolotls to age. However, that does not seem to be the case, which has made understanding how axolotls age even more intriguing for scientists. But exploring that and bringing it over to mammals is not easy. And it will likely take a good deal of work to pull it off.
Scientists have long been looking for ways to create anti-aging medication, and the fact that axolotls seem to be able to stop their biological clock completely—even when regenerating new limbs—could be a huge turning point for that research.
