RAZOR: Do bats hold the secret to long life in humans?

For centuries, humans have searched for the secret to staying young. From miracle pills to billion-dollar anti-ageing treatments, the global longevity industry is booming. But what if the real key to living longer, healthier lives is already in nature?

In rural France, scientists are studying one of the most unlikely animals in the fight against ageing, the greater mouse-eared bat. These small bats can live up to ten times longer than expected for their size, resist disease and defy the rules of biology. Their unique genetics may hold the blueprint for healthy ageing.

RAZOR's Reya El-Salahi joins Professor Emma Teeling from University College Dublin and the French conservation group Bretagne-Vivante in Brittany as they track, catch, and study these extraordinary bats to uncover the secrets of longevity.

At the University of Birmingham, Professor João Pedro de Magalhães explores the genetics of ageing, revealing the molecular and cellular drivers that shape human lifespan and healthspan.

Meanwhile, Dr Maximina Yun from the Chinese Institutes for Medical Research studies axolotls and their incredible regenerative abilities with the power to heal and regrow tissue that could inspire breakthroughs in human medicine.

Could the secret to longer, healthier lives really be written in the DNA of the natural world? Discover the science of longevity and what we can learn from bats, axolotls, and other long-lived, regenerative species.