The "clock" hidden in the gene predicts the life span of vertebrates

As is often known, the maximum life span of a species is difficult to define, and there are significant differences between speciesPast studies have suggested that maximum life expectancy is controlled by genes, but so far no genetic variants have been found to cause this difference, researchers such as Benjamin Mayne, a scientist with the Australian Federal Organisation for Scientific and Industrial Research, used the reference genomes of 252 known-life vertebrates to identify 42 genes that could predict life expectancyThey found that cpG density in these genes was highly predictive of the lifespan of vertebrates, including extinct speciesUsing the genome of the African elephant and its life span (65 years), theteam used models to estimate the lifetime of real mammoths and ancient prismatic elephants at 60 yearsBased on the genomes of modern and early humans and chimpanzees, it is estimated that the lifespan of denisova and Neanderthals was about 38 yearsThe study also showed that their models were able to estimate the longevity of longevity species, such as Pinta island elephant turtles and bowhead whales, which are often more likely than humans, making predicting their longevity challengingin addition to estimating life spans, the researchersbelieve the findings could help to study the ecology and evolution of existing and extinct species, the protection of threatened species, and sustainable fishing.