Why don’t our pets live longer?

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(Credit: huntingdesigns / flickr)

(Credit: huntingdesigns / flickr)

One of the biggest mysteries of biology is why some animals live longer than others. Of course, we care about our own lifespans, but increasingly scientists (and others) have begun to wonder about the lifespans of our pets. Why do cats and dogs only live a dozen or so years? Why do small dogs live longer than big ones? And is there anything we can do to help our pets live longer?

These questions are the subject of a feature story I have just written for Science, “A dog that lives 300 years? Solving the mysteries of aging in our pets”. Cats and dogs are revealing surprising new insights into how all animals–even human beings–age. Could our pets one day live 300 years? I hope you’ll check out the story to find out.

Also, take a look at this cool video, produced by the digital media team at Science

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