{"id":1037,"date":"2025-10-15T13:29:32","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T13:29:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.science.sbtechem.com\/?p=1037"},"modified":"2025-10-15T13:29:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T13:29:32","slug":"still-swimming-after-400-years-the-ancient-greenland-shark-beneath-the-north-atlantic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.science.sbtechem.com\/?p=1037","title":{"rendered":"Still Swimming After 400 Years: The Ancient Greenland Shark Beneath the North Atlantic"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"7a19b57d3f502e506f541b4c6899bb20\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n\tatOptions = {\r\n\t\t'key' : '763760c8ca37b90150f32ad474f817c0',\r\n\t\t'format' : 'iframe',\r\n\t\t'height' : 250,\r\n\t\t'width' : 300,\r\n\t\t'params' : {}\r\n\t};\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/electthirteenth.com\/763760c8ca37b90150f32ad474f817c0\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Imagine gliding through deep, icy waters, untouched by the passage of centuries. No wars, no automobiles, no smartphones\u2014just silent currents and endless dark. That is the life of a Greenland shark, and one such shark may have been alive since the 1600s.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A Shark That Outlives Nations<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Researchers believe Greenland sharks (scientific name Somniosus microcephalus) hold the record for the longest-living vertebrate on Earth. Estimates point to lifespans of around 400 years or more. Scientists have used radiocarbon dating on proteins in the lens of the shark\u2019s eye to estimate age. In one study, the oldest specimen was estimated at 392 years (with a margin of error) \u2014 meaning it could have been born as early as the early 1500s or as late as the 1700s.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If that\u2019s true, this shark would have witnessed centuries of change above the surface: the rise and fall of empires, the dawn of industrialization, the invention of electricity, and the digital age\u2014and yet, deep below the waves, she continues her quiet existence.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Slow Motion in the Deep<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Greenland sharks live in extremely cold, dark waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Their metabolism is slow, their movements deliberate. They swim at just about 0.3 meters per second (roughly 1 foot per second) on average. This slowness helps conserve energy and likely contributes to their long lives.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Counting \u201crings\u201d in bones, as scientists often do for fish, doesn\u2019t work here\u2014their vertebrae don\u2019t preserve clear markers. Instead, the trick lies in eye lenses. The inner core of the lens forms before birth and doesn\u2019t change. Over time, new layers build around it. Researchers date the inner core\u2019s carbon signature, compared to known atmospheric levels, to estimate how many years have passed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Secrets in the Genome<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Understanding how a creature lives centuries is a biologist\u2019s dream. Recent research has decoded parts of the Greenland shark\u2019s genome, revealing clues about how it avoids the ravages of aging. Scientists have found that the shark\u2019s DNA is packed with so-called \u201cjumping genes\u201d (transposable elements), which typically cause damage in many species\u2014but in the Greenland shark, other genes may hijack or balance this activity to replicate or repair important DNA regions.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Another intriguing find: the shark\u2019s version of a vital protein called p53, known for protecting against cancer in many animals, is slightly altered. Researchers think this variation may help the shark resist mutations and cancer over centuries.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Tough Beginnings, Slow Maturity<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Longevity comes with tradeoffs. Greenland sharks take a long time to reach sexual maturity\u2014around 150 years. When mature, they give live birth after a likely gestation period of many years. Because of this slow life cycle, their populations are especially vulnerable to threats. Overfishing, bycatch, and environmental changes can hit them hard, since a lost shark cannot be replaced quickly.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Why Her Life Matters<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This ancient shark reminds us of time in a new way. When we speak of centuries, we often mean maps, wars, kings, and inventions. But here is a life that spans all that, floating far beneath.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For your readers, you can imagine:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While Shakespeare was writing, she was already a juvenile shark.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While Columbus\u2019s world expanded, she was dancing in the deep.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As steam engines puffed and factories rose, she drifted in silence.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As rockets launched and we linked the globe by wires, she remained in her underwater realm.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!--CusAds0-->\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine gliding through deep, icy waters, untouched by the passage of centuries. No wars, no automobiles, no smartphones\u2014just silent currents and endless dark. That is the life of a Greenland shark, and one such shark may have been alive since the 1600s. &nbsp; A Shark That Outlives Nations &nbsp; Researchers believe Greenland sharks (scientific name\u2026 <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.sbtechem.com\/?p=1037\">Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-geographic"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.science.sbtechem.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.science.sbtechem.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.science.sbtechem.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.science.sbtechem.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.science.sbtechem.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1037"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.science.sbtechem.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1037\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1038,"href":"https:\/\/www.science.sbtechem.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1037\/revisions\/1038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.science.sbtechem.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.science.sbtechem.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.science.sbtechem.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}