A tiny primate from Madagascar, the fat-tailed dwarf lemur, has an amazing ability—it can slow down cellular aging while it hibernates.
Scientists from Duke University and the University of California, San Francisco, have discovered that these lemurs can temporarily reverse signs of aging in their cells, offering new insights into how aging works.
The role of telomeres in aging
Aging doesn’t just happen on the outside—it starts deep in our cells.
At the ends of our chromosomes, we have tiny protective caps called telomeres, which prevent DNA from becoming damaged.
However, every time our cells divide, these telomeres shrink. Over time, they become too short to protect our DNA, leading to aging and cell damage.
Stress, poor sleep, and unhealthy lifestyles can speed up this process. But dwarf lemurs have found a way to lengthen their telomeres—something that usually doesn’t happen naturally in aging cells.
Hibernation reverses aging
During the colder months, dwarf lemurs hibernate for up to seven months in tree holes or burrows, barely moving or eating.
Their heart rate drops from 200 beats per minute to just eight, and they breathe only once every 10 minutes. Their body temperature drops, and they stay in a deep sleep-like state for about a week at a time.
Scientists at the Duke Lemur Center studied 15 dwarf lemurs before, during, and after hibernation, tracking their telomere length through cheek swabs. To recreate winter, they lowered the temperature in the lab and gave some lemurs burrows to sleep in, while others remained awake and ate as usual.
The results were surprising—the hibernating lemurs’ telomeres grew longer. Instead of wearing down over time, their cells reversed the aging process during hibernation. However, two weeks after waking up, their telomeres returned to normal.
Why does this happen?
Scientists believe this process may protect the lemurs from stress during hibernation. Their bodies go through extreme changes when they warm up again, much like starting a cold car in winter. Lengthening their telomeres may help them survive these drastic metabolic shifts.
Interestingly, similar telomere lengthening has been seen in humans exposed to extreme environments, such as astronauts in space or divers living underwater for months.
Dwarf lemurs live much longer than other primates their size—nearly 30 years, compared to 12 or 13 years for similar species that don’t hibernate. Scientists hope that by understanding how they extend their telomeres, they could discover new ways to slow aging in humans—without increasing the risk of diseases like cancer.
For now, the mystery of how these lemurs defy time remains unsolved. But their secret could one day lead to breakthroughs in human health and longevity.
