Jonathan the 194-year-old tortoise keeps youthful DNA controls

At roughly 194 years old, Jonathan the Seychellois giant tortoise on St. Helena is the world's oldest living land animal. A pioneering epigenomic study published in Science Advances revealed that Jonathan's DNA repair and metabolic gene switches remain in a remarkably youthful state, looking virtually identical to those of tortoises less than half his age. Researchers identified 287 unique gene variants dedicated to genomic maintenance and cellular defense. The discovery provides the first direct map of how giant tortoises halt epigenetic aging, opening new possibilities for human anti-aging therapies.

SciTechDaily · October 13, 2026