Jonathan the tortoise and the genes of a long life

Where it stands as of Oct 9, 2026

Researchers led by the longevity nonprofit Kallel sequenced the genome of Jonathan, a 194-year-old Aldabra giant tortoise on St. Helena, and found 287 unique gene variants tied to DNA repair, lower inflammation, insulin regulation and cancer suppression. The switches controlling DNA repair and metabolism looked very similar to those of younger giant tortoises, though the epigenome usually drifts with age. It is one animal with an estimated age, so what the pattern means for other species is not known.