An accompanying report commended the appearance of the zoo and castle grounds, as well as the introduction of several new enclosures and species, including binturong and
naked mole rats, pictured right with DZG graphic designer Rachel Lane, who designed the informative exhibit signage.
The twilight team oversees a diverse collection of species which include: red panda, giant anteater, dwarf mongoose, two-toed sloth,
naked mole rats, meerkat, aardvark, Rodrigues fruit bat and Visayan warty pigs to name a few.
Rochelle Buffenstein, senior principal investigator at Calico, and one of the three authors of the paper, said in (https://www.calicolabs.com/news/2018/01/25/) a statement : "Research has shown that the chance of dying for mammals such as humans, horses and mice, among others, increases exponentially with age, according to Gompertz' law. Our research demonstrates that
naked mole rats do not age in the same manner as other mammals, and in fact show little to no signs of aging, and their risk of death does not increase even at 25 times past their time to reproductive maturity. These findings reinforce our belief that
naked mole rats are exceptional animals to study to further our understanding of the biological mechanisms of longevity."
But
naked mole rats live in underground tunnels, where fresh air can be scarce.
SAPPORO, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, April 18, 2017 -- Scientists are getting closer to understanding how
naked mole rats, the world's longest living rodent species, avoid cancer, which could lead to safer stem cell therapies for human diseases.
At a laboratory outside San Francisco, money from the founders of Google maintains a large number of
naked mole rats. The hairless rodents require exacting, expensive conditions to thrive: they live in cooperative colonies like ants, led by a queen rat.
Not to mention ultra-intelligent dolphins,
naked mole rats and bizarre, bloated blobfish!
He discusses how Tasmanian devils are suffering from a virulent form of contagious cancer, how dogs can spontaneously overcome cancer, a type of mouse and mole that are not susceptible to cancer, and research on tapeworms,
naked mole rats, elephants, sharks, clams, cows and other animals, and their role in understanding cancer, in addition to cases in humans.
For instance,
naked mole rats survive for nearly 30 years without cancer -- they have a defense system that stops cancerous cells from growth.
Seluanov and Gorbunova made the cover of the prestigious journal Nature with their discovery that high molecular weight hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid) in
naked mole rats protects them from cancer.8
Naked mole rat hyaluronan is 5 times larger than the hyaluronan in humans or mice.
The phenomena of behavioral specialization, polymorphism and caste formation is well known for some organisms, such as social insects and
naked mole rats. Recent findings extend such complex sociality to a new phylum- the Platyhelminthes.
While they may not appreciate the crack about beauty contests,
naked mole rats have carved out a reputation for healthy living.