WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM NAKED MOLE RATS

Naked mole rats—hairless rodents that reside underground in East Africa—have amazed scientists with their longevity. Though they are the same size as their mice cousins, they can live for 30 years, whereas mice live only about two. Now researchers have discovered one possible reason for the mole rats’ extraordinary lifespan: They are extremely accurate at producing proteins, the building blocks of cells. In humans and other animals, the accumulation of proteins that contain errors, known as “junk” proteins, clogs cells and leads to signs of aging: sagging skin, slower metabolism, and diseases such as Alzheimer’s. But in producing proteins, naked mole rats make up to 10 times fewer mistakes than mice do. Researchers say understanding how mole rats stave off aging could lead to new treatments for people. “Every time we look at the naked mole rat,” study author Vera Gorbunova of the University of Rochester tells LATimes.com, “there’s something unexpected and something that could be potentially useful to humans.” Another example: Mole rats never get cancer.