Scientists in France Are Trying to Determine Why Bats Live Such Long and Healthy Lives

Could bats hold the key to the fountain of youth? Some scientists are trying to figure that out. They’re drawing blood from bats to see why the flying mammals live so long. 

"This is in the wild, without any veterinary intervention, without any medicine, and the question is: how do they do that?” said Professor Emma Teeling from the University College Dublin.

“How do they slow down aging? Why don't they get cancer? How could they live for so long?"

Researchers told CBS News that bats live 10 times longer than other species of the same size. 

So they’ve been studying bats at an old church in France — for added creepy factor — to see if any of their secrets of longevity might apply to humans. 

"Bats increase their ability to repair their DNA. They repair the damages that living causes. And it increases with age. Ours decreases," Professor Teeling adds.

“So it gives an insight into the pharmaceuticals that we are going to take to fight infections.”

Bats can even carry diseases like Ebola, rabies and coronavirus, without getting sick. 

Hopefully, this bat research may one day help humans figure out how to fight diseases and live longer.  

Related Stories