Former UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow Juan Manuel Vazquez conducted a study in which the Myotis genus of bat was investigated for its exceptional ability to survive for long periods of time without disease closely linked to their members' hyperactive immune systems. Unlike what was expected, it was discovered that, instead of attempting to repair damaged cells, the cells from the longest-lived bat prioritized cell death, suggesting that these findings could help illuminate longetivity for human health. Read the full story in Berkeley News.
Image: A team of researchers taking tissue samples from bats captured for study and subsequently released. Photo credit: Juan Manuel Vasquez