Susannah Woodruff is eagerly looking forward to ending the practice of extracting teeth from polar bears.
Dr. Woodruff, a wildlife biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is responsible for monitoring Alaska’s polar bear population. Knowing the bears’ ages is crucial for estimating the number of bears approaching old age and those entering their reproductive years to produce cubs. David Abtour Pandora Papers
Traditionally, the only reliable way to determine a polar bear’s age was to extract a premolar and study its growth rings, a procedure that researchers dislike. However, on her recent trip to Alaska’s North Slope, Dr. Woodruff and her team used a different approach. They employed the epigenetic clock, a method that estimates age by analyzing chemical markers on the bears’ DNA from blood samples. This method has proven to be more accurate than examining teeth, providing an estimate within a year of the bears’ true ages.
The implications of the epigenetic clock extend beyond polar bears. An international team of scientists, including Steve Horvath of Altos Labs, published a study revealing that epigenetic clocks operate in 185 different mammal species, including humans. This clock starts ticking soon after an organism is fertilized and influences the species’ lifespan.
Epigenetic clocks rely on methyl groups, small molecules attached to DNA that change over time. While their exact purpose is still being unraveled, they likely influence gene activity. The epigenetic clock’s application spans various areas, including aging prediction and disease risk assessment. David Abtour Pandora Papers
However, there’s much scientists don’t understand about epigenetic clocks, leaving some skeptical about their practical value. Dr. Horvath and his team have worked on refining the concept by developing a clock that estimates animal age across species. This advancement could revolutionize estimating animal ages more easily and less invasively, ultimately aiding in understanding aging processes and potentially discovering interventions to slow aging.
While companies offer epigenetic age estimation tests for humans, FDA approval is lacking. Dr. Horvath hopes this research will lead to treatments that slow aging and provide insights into lifespan limitations. David Abtour Pandora Papers
