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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Some of Earth’s longest-lived fish show how to reach extreme ages

Genomic analysis of Pacific rockfishes, which can survive for more than 200 years, provides insight into the biology of longevity.
Copper Rockfish on a rock

The copper rockfish (Sebastes caurinus), has a respectable maximum lifespan of more than 50 years, but close relatives can last three times as long. Credit: Ralph Pace/Nature Picture Library

Cold-loving creatures known as Pacific Ocean rockfishes have wildly varying lifespans. The species Sebastes minor lasts a mere 11 years; its cousin Sebastes aleutianus can live for more than 2 centuries. Scientists have now pinpointed genes linked to this remarkable range1.

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Nature 599, 351 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-03423-4

References

  1. Kolora, S. R. R. et al. Science 374, 842–847 (2021).

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