Michelle Dickinson: The secret to living longer; how bats and coronaviruses could help us find it

Bat's ability to host pathogens like coronaviruses while not getting sick that could be the secret to a longer life. One of the key signs of ageing are telomeres - these are the protective end bits on your chromosomes. As we age these telomeres get shorter until they no longer protect the DNA and the cells die.  A study that microchipped the longest-lived bats (Greater Mouse-eared bats) and drew blood over their lifetime found that their telomeres didn't shorten with age. They can somehow protect their DNA. If we can find the controlling gene that regulates these effects, we could in theory make a drug to mimic it in humans. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.