Due to some previously scheduled exclusive charters, we didn’t operate any Whale Watch Cruises on Wednesday so I don’t have any whale stats. or sightings to report. But I did see an interesting study just published on January 6th in the magazine, Cell Reports. 

Researchers have completed the entire sequencing of the Bowhead Whale’s genome. Bowhead whales are known to live longer than 200 years, and though they have many more cells than we do, don’t seem to develop cancers and many of the other diseases that humans develop. The researchers sequencing the genome have identified mutations in two genes controlling cell repair and DNA repair, which may be responsible for increased cancer resistance and decreased effects of aging in these whales.

The next step for these researchers is to insert these mutated genes into mice to see if the mice live longer healthier lives. If that goes well, ultimately, the researchers would like to experiment with the genes in humans.

Would you want to live till the year 2215? This research may make that possible.

Mahalo,

Claire