NSC3 WEBINAR
Aging in the Wild: What Beavers, Mole Rats, Tortoises, Clams, and Other Exceptionally Long-Lived Species Can Teach Human Beings about Living Longer, Healthier Lives
Friday, May 1 from 3-4pm ET
What allows some animal species (but not others) to live very long lives relatively unscathed by many of the bodily effects of aging, such as cancer or frailty, and the dangers of their habitats and environments? Does the secret lie in their diet? Their choice of habitat? Their DNA? How do species as diverse as bats, tortoises, and elephants come to share exceptional longevity?
Join some of the preeminent researchers in aging biology for a fascinating and free-flowing conversation about nature’s secrets to a long life.
The objectives of this webinar are to:
- Learn how researchers determine which animal species to study – and where and how to pursue their work
- Hear about the adaptations and other characteristics that help these animals resist disease and survive other threats
- Describe how a comparative biology approach is affecting our understanding of the biology of aging and the implications for human lifespan and healthspan
The presentations will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.
This webinar is presented by the Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center, in collaboration with the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR).
The Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging provide leadership in the pursuit of basic research into the biology of aging. The Division of Aging Biology of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) funds the eight Nathan Shock Centers.
Moderator and speaker: Steven Austad, PhD
Co-Director of The University of Alabama at Birmingham Nathan Shock Center
Distinguished Professor and Protective Life Endowed Chair in Healthy Aging Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
Author of Methuselah's Zoo: What Nature Can Teach Us about Living Longer, Healthier Lives
Speaker: Vera Gorbunova, PhD
Director of the Upstate New York Nathan Shock Center
Doris Johns Cherry Professor and Professor of Biology and Medicine, University of Rochester
Director of the Upstate New York Nathan Shock at the University of Rochester
Speaker: Andrei Seluanov, PhD
Director of the Live Animal Resource Core at the Upstate New York Nathan Shock Center
Dean’s Professor and Professor of Biology at the University of Rochester
