The Secret to Long Life Learned from Lobsters

The Secret to Long Life Learned from Lobsters

I learned something a few weeks ago about lobsters that both amazed and excited me. It turns out that lobsters are often cited among animals with features of “biological immortality.” See the overview here: Wikipedia link. In practice, biologists usually frame this as negligible senescence (very slow age-related decline), not literal immortality. Field data show older lobsters can remain fertile and continue molting, but they still die from predation, disease, and molting stress.

UPDATE 2024: a new breakthrough in the research to live forever shifts into mitochondrial health and function, plus deuterium. It’s not all about just telomere length. Cold-water sharks, such as the Greenland shark, can live for centuries; radiocarbon eye-lens dating estimated median ages in the multi-hundred-year range (best estimate ~272 years; upper CI ~392–512 years) in a Science study (Nielsen et al., 2016).

Greenland sharks are more closely related to humans than lobsters (both in phylum Chordata), whereas lobsters are arthropods. Greenland sharks hold an even more fascinating key to our own quest to live longer—extreme cold adaptation, slow metabolism, and proteome stability are all under investigation (Nature Scientific Reports).

There’s emerging interest in hydrogen isotopes and mitochondrial function. Hypotheses propose that lower intracellular deuterium may favor bioenergetics (ATP generation) and redox signaling. Evidence in humans remains preliminary; mechanisms like the urea cycle and isotope fractionation in different species are active research areas (review on deuterium biology). If you want to track how this translates to practice, Dr. Cohen is closely involved in this line of work.

So what is the lobster “secret”?

In lobsters, the telomerase enzyme remains active in many adult tissues. Telomerase maintains telomeres (the protective DNA caps) and can support continued cell division. This was shown in classic work demonstrating widespread telomerase expression in Homarus americanus (Klapper et al., FEBS Lett., 1998).

For context, telomeres are the DNA “end caps” that help preserve genomic stability as cells divide. In humans, telomeres typically shorten with age in most somatic tissues; select lines (e.g., germ cells) retain telomerase activity. Background primers and association studies: diet and telomere length (AJCN), exercise/behavior links (PubMed). A popular summary on vitamin D and telomeres is here (VitaminDWiki), though peer-reviewed evidence is mixed and evolving.

Can humans “turn on” telomerase?

Humans do not maintain lobster-like, ubiquitous telomerase in somatic tissues, and indiscriminate telomerase activation carries oncogenic risk. That said, lifestyle patterns are associated with slower telomere attrition (sleep, fitness, nutrition, lower psychosocial stress), and small interventional studies have explored nutraceuticals.

One well-known example is the astragalus-derived formulation TA-65. In a prospective study, TA-65 use was associated with changes in telomere dynamics and immune cell subsets; evidence is preliminary and not equivalent to disease claims (Harley et al., Rejuvenation Research, 2013). Assertions that TA-65 “reverses wrinkles/gray hair” are anecdotal and not substantiated by large, controlled trials. Any therapeutic telomerase-activation via gene therapy remains experimental; timelines are uncertain and would require rigorous safety data.

Where this leaves us (now)

• Lobsters show negligible senescence with widespread telomerase, but they are not invulnerable; they do not “live forever.” • Greenland sharks demonstrate extreme longevity through multi-factor adaptations; their biology is informative but not directly translatable yet. • Deuterium-mitochondria hypotheses are intriguing; clinical validation is ongoing. • In humans, protecting mitochondrial function and slowing telomere attrition is most credibly supported today by basics: circadian alignment, fitness, nutrient density, and lowering toxic load—areas we operationalize through our mitochondrial-first approach.

Want a QMT-aligned protocol for telomere/mitochondria stewardship? Reach out here: Work with Dr. Cohen.

Sources & further reading

• Biological immortality overview: Wikipedia
• Lobster telomerase in adult tissues: Klapper et al., FEBS Letters (1998)
• Do lobsters live forever? LiveScience explainer
• Greenland shark longevity: Nielsen et al., Science (2016); proteome stability: Nature Sci. Rep. (2017)
• Deuterium background: Open-access review; general entry: Wikipedia
• Telomeres & lifestyle: AJCN; PubMed
• TA-65 human study (preliminary): Harley et al., Rejuvenation Research

Note: This content is educational and aligns with emerging research. It does not diagnose, treat, or claim disease modification.