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Canadian researchers say they're studying diving seabirds in Hudson Bay to better understand the aging process.
Brunnich's guillemots reach their 30s and then die quickly and suddenly, showing few signs of aging prior to death.
The guillemots, which look similar to penguins, expend substantial energy when diving. Researchers say their high metabolism and frequent dives should produce oxidative stress, causing the birds to deteriorate as they age. The birds, however, appear to stay fit and active as they grow older, maintaining their flying, diving, and foraging abilities.
"Not only do these birds live very long, but they maintain their energetic lifestyle in a very extreme environment into old age," said Kyle Elliott, a doctoral student at the University of Manitoba and the study's lead author.
"Most of what we know about aging is from studies of short-lived round worms, fruit flies, mice, and chickens, but long-lived animals age differently. We need data from long-lived animals, and one good example is long-lived seabirds."
One bird, nicknamed "Wayne Gretzky" by the researchers after the Canadian hockey great who played 20 seasons in the NHL and because the bird's identification band colors matched Gretzky's team colors, raised young for 18 consecutive years.
The findings were presented Tuesday at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting in Salzburg, Austria (UPI).
Brunnich's guillemots reach their 30s and then die quickly and suddenly, showing few signs of aging prior to death.
The guillemots, which look similar to penguins, expend substantial energy when diving. Researchers say their high metabolism and frequent dives should produce oxidative stress, causing the birds to deteriorate as they age. The birds, however, appear to stay fit and active as they grow older, maintaining their flying, diving, and foraging abilities.
"Not only do these birds live very long, but they maintain their energetic lifestyle in a very extreme environment into old age," said Kyle Elliott, a doctoral student at the University of Manitoba and the study's lead author.
"Most of what we know about aging is from studies of short-lived round worms, fruit flies, mice, and chickens, but long-lived animals age differently. We need data from long-lived animals, and one good example is long-lived seabirds."
One bird, nicknamed "Wayne Gretzky" by the researchers after the Canadian hockey great who played 20 seasons in the NHL and because the bird's identification band colors matched Gretzky's team colors, raised young for 18 consecutive years.
The findings were presented Tuesday at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting in Salzburg, Austria (UPI).
<관련 한글 기사>
노화의 비밀 밝혀지나
캐나다 학자들은 노화의 진행과정을 밝히기 위해 허드슨 강변의 바닷새들을 연구할 것이라고 밝혔다.
큰부리바다오리(Brunnich’s guillemots)는 죽음 직전에 노화의 징조를 거의 보이지 않은 채 30살에 이르면 급격히 사망한다.
펭귄과 유사하게 생긴 이 바다오리는 잠수하는 과정에서 많은 에너지를 쓴다. 연구자들은 이들의 높은 신진대사율과 잦은 잠수가 ‘산화적 스트레스’를 발생시켜, 나이가 들면서 점점 상태가 악화된다고 전했다.하지만 나이가 들면서도 이들은 여전히 활동적으로 잠수하고 날고 먹이를 찾으며 체력을 유지한다.
이 연구의 대표자이자 마니토바 대학에서 박사 과정을 밟고 있는 카일 엘리엇은 “이 새들은 극한의 환경에서도 활동적인 생활을 유지하며 매우 오래 산다”고 전했다.
또한 “현재 노화에 관한 지식은 지렁이, 초파리, 쥐나 닭 등 수명이 짧은 동물을 연구하여 얻는데, 수명이 긴 동물들은 노화가 다르게 진행된다”며 큰부리바다오리가 좋은 연구 대상이 될 것이라고 덧붙였다.
식별 띠가 캐나다 하키거장의 팀 색깔과 같다고 해서, 그의 이름을 따 '웨인 그레츠키’라고 붙여진 한 바다오리는 18년 동안 새끼를 기르고 있다.
밝혀진 연구 내용은 화요일에 오스트리아 잘츠부르크에서 열린 실험 생물학 학회에서 발표되었다.
